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THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 



The Jewel Series 



THE DIAMOND STORY BOOK. Com- 
piled by Penrhyn W. Coussens. Illus- 
trations in color by Ethel Green. net $1.50 

THE EMERALD STORY BOOK. Stories 
of Spring, Nature, and Easter. By Ada 
and Eleanor Skinner. Illustrations 
in color by Maxfield Parrish. . . .net $1.50 

THE RUBY STORY BOOK. Tales of 

Courage and Heroism. Retold by 
Penrhyn W. Coussens. Illustrations 
in color by Maxfield Parrish net $1.50 

THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK. Tales 
of the Sea. Collected and retold by 
Penrhyn W. Coussens. Frontispiece 
in color by Maxfield Parrish net $1.50 




Drawn by Maxfield Parrish 



"Men have ever looked toward the sea for high 
adventure and the proving of courage and daring." 



THE 

SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Stories of the Sea 

COLLECTED, RETOLD, AND WRITTEN BY 

PENRHYN W. COUSSENS 

AUTHOR OF "THE RUBY STORY BOOK" "THE DIAMOND STORY BOOK" 

EDITOR OF "A CHILD'S BOOK OF STORIES" "POEMS CHILDREN LOVE". 

"ONE THOUSAND BOOKS FOR CHILDREN" ETC. 



FRONTISPIECE BY 

MAXFIELD PARRISH 




NEW YORK 

DUFFIELD & COMPANY 

1917 



&525 

.en 



Copyright, 1917, by 
DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 



1 ^ 



MAY 21 1917 



9GI.A467065 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

A Wonderful Voyage 3 

King Olaf's Last Fight 12 

Henry Hudson's Last Voyage ... 20 

The Opening of Japan to the World 29 

A Famous Sea Fight 38 

Spanish Bloodhounds and English 

Mastiffs 47 

Capturing a Malayan Pirate ... 75 
The First Dutch Attempt to Dis- 
cover the Northwest Passage . 81 
The Burning of the "Philadelphia" 90 
A Descent into the Maelstrom . .100 
"Don't Give Up the Ship" . . . .136 

A Conflict of Monsters 143 

Captain Kidd 152 

Honest John, Pilot of the "Jersey" 159 

"Casabianca" 163 

Captain Hawk, Pirate 174 

The Battle of Trafalgar 228 

The Great Armada 250 

Wreck of the "Drake"'. 279 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

A Stormy Sea ; , 286 

On the Raft 302 

The "Titanic" Disaster 324 

Sinking of the Pirate Proa .... 334 
The Loss of the "Birkenhead" . . . 344 

Among the Icebergs 352 

The Mutineers of the "Bounty" . . 360 

The Testing of a Man 367 

The Laying of the Atlantic Cable . 381 
The Capture of the Silver Fleet . . 389 

Wrecked on an Iceberg 394 

The Burning of the "Alice" . . . .412 
Sources of the Tales 419 



PREFACE 

"The Sapphire Story Book," the fourth of 
the "Jewel" series, is composed of stories re- 
lating to the sea. 

As in the preceding volume, "The Ruby 
Story Book," many of the stories tell of cour- 
age, heroism, and devotion to duty, which, it 
is hoped, will benefit, as well as interest, the 
reader. 

My thanks are due the following for per- 
mission to include stories which appear in 
their publications: 

E. P. Dutton & Co., for "The Testing of a 
Man," taken from "Frank Brown," by Frank 
T. Bullen. 

J. B. Lippincott Co., for "Wrecked on an 
Iceberg," from "Adventures on the High 
Seas," by Richard Stead. 

P. W. C. 



THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 



A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 

Three small ships were anchored at the bar 
of Saltes, near the town of Palos, in Spain. 
It was a gala day, this 3rd of August, 1492, 
for Christopher Columbus was ready to start 
on his voyage of discovery. 

Crowds thronged the waterside to witness 
the departure of the adventurer, who, for 
eighteen long years, had striven to interest one 
or another of the rulers of Europe in the great 
enterprise. At last Ferdinand and Isabella 
of Spain had agreed to finance the expedition, 
and now three caravels, the largest of them 
being the Santa Maria, his flag-ship, of one 
hundred tons' burden, sixty-five feet long and 
twenty feet in breadth, and two smaller ones, 
the Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonzo Pin- 
zon, and the Nina, captained by Vincente 
Yanez Pinzon, were waiting the arrival of the 

3 



4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Admiral, for such was the title under which 
Columbus sailed. 

There was no cheering from the people as 
the boat left the shore, for many of the watch- 
ers believed that none of the hundred and 
twenty men who were to sail would return. 

Not all of those on board went willingly, 
for some were pressed into the service. Oth- 
ers embarked through love of adventure, and 
the treasure they expected to find. Many of 
them were of undesirable and lawless char- 
acter, released from prisons in which they 
were serving sentence on condition that they 
serve for the voyage with Columbus, and these 
tried to spread dissatisfaction almost as soon 
as the anchors were weighed. 

On the second day out the Pinta became un- 
manageable, and the rudder was found to be 
broken. This was repaired as well as pos- 
sible, and in nine days they reached the 
Canaries, where it was found necessary to de- 
lay a month in order to render the ships suf- 
ficiently seaworthy to continue the voyage into 
unknown seas. 

They left the islands on September 6th, the 



A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 5 

men being somewhat lighter-hearted on ac- 
count of the tales told by the inhabitants that 
they sometimes saw land far off to the west. 
But in a few days their dissatisfaction re- 
turned. 

On September 13th, they saw a bird of 
bright plumage, and this encouraged them. 
Three days later they ran into large patches 
of seaweed, and on September 18th, the Pinta, 
which was ahead of the other two boats, re- 
ported a flock of birds; the next day they saw 
two pelicans, and on September 21st a whale 
passed them. 

They were then in what is known as the Sar- 
gasso Sea (from the Portuguese word meaning 
"floating seaweed"). 

Knowing their desire for gain, Columbus 
spoke often to his men about the treasure 
which would surely be found. He also made 
two records daily, a true one for himself only, 
and a false one for the sailors. By these means 
he obtained some sort of order. He told to 
none of them his own thoughts, but he knew if 
they kept on a westerly course, some land must 
be reached. This he had reasoned out to his 



6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

own satisfaction. The crews were fearful that 
if they went far enough, they would sail over 
the edge of the ocean to destruction. 

Now most sailors are superstitious, and 
when they discovered that the needle of the 
compass pointed westward, they were sure that 
something dreadful would happen. Colum- 
bus, of course, had noticed this variation of 
the needle, and kept it from his men as long as 
he could. He himself had some misgiving as 
to the meaning of this, but he kept steadily 
on. It needed all his powers of persuasion to 
keep the men at their work. 

On September 25th, Captain Martin Pin- 
zon reported land ahead, and all rejoiced and 
returned thanks to God. But this turned out 
to be only low-lying clouds, which gave the 
appearance of land. 

Discontent now became more pronounced 
than before, and there was open talk of 
mutiny. But Columbus faced them fearlessly, 
and managed to keep them in hand both by 
appeal and by threats of punishment. 

By his own figuring, Columbus had ex- 
pected to reach land by this time, and he began 



A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 7 

to wonder how far away was the famed "Ca- 
thay" (the westward passage to which coun- 
try he thought to discover). He felt that he 
must have erred in his calculations, and when 
Martin Pinzon pointed out that the birds they 
saw flew from the southward rather than from 
the west, Columbus changed his course to that 
direction. 

They had been on the new course for three 
days, and there were continuous signs of some 
sort or another that land was not far away, but 
now the sailors were sure that these were only 
illusions, and on the night of October 10th 
they again became mutinous, and declared that 
they would return to Spain. 

The courage of the dauntless Columbus was 
now indeed put to the test. The arguments 
he made and the rewards he promised were 
scoffed at by the crew. He became more de- 
termined, and told them that their king had 
ordered him to discover a way to the Indies, 
and that this he should continue to seek. 

At last he managed to secure a semblance 
of order. He was sure that land was near, 
and when in the morning he saw a fresh green 



8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

branch floating by the ship, he had no more 
doubt. 

That night he kept watch himself, and 
through the darkness he thought he saw the 
fitful gleam of a light. At two o'clock in the 
morning a gun on board the Pinta was fired, 
and then Columbus knew that he was not mis- 
taken. 

Roderigo de Triana, of the Pinta, was the 
first man to see land, and it was he, who, ac- 
cording to the signal agreed upon, fired the 
cannon in order to let the other vessels know 
of his discovery. 

When it was light enough, they saw what 
appeared to be an island covered with trees, 
and upon the shore were many inhabitants 
looking intently at the oncoming ships. 

Soon a boat was lowered from each caravel, 
and Columbus and the two Pinzons, clad in 
shining armour, were rowed ashore. There 
Columbus drew his sword, and took possession 
of the island, which he named San Salvador, 
in the name of the King of Spain. 

He believed that the island was off the 
mainland of India, and since that time the 



A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 9 

original inhabitants of the western hemi- 
sphere have been called Indians. 

Columbus treated the natives kindly, and 
made friends with them. San Salvador 
proved to be a small island, and he was now 
filled with a greater desire than ever to find 
the land of wonderful treasure, which he had 
set out to discover, and which he believed lay 
to the south. 

In three days' time he left San Salvador, 
taking with him several of the natives to serve 
as guides. He cruised among the various 
islands, taking possession of each in the name 
of King Ferdinand, and at last reached Cuba, 
which he then thought to be the object of his 
search. 

On the night of October 20th, the Captain of 
the Pinta deserted his Admiral, thinking to 
hasten back to Spain, and take to himself the 
glory of the discovery. This was a great blow 
to Columbus, but his pride kept him up. 

Soon after this the Santa Maria was 
wrecked, and had to be abandoned. This was 
a seemingly overwhelming disaster, but a 
great idea now came to the Admiral, 



io THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The only vessel now left was the Nina, too 
small to accommodate both crews, so he gave 
permission for all who wished to do so to stay 
in this beautiful country, and this appealed to 
many of them. 

About forty men remained, and on January 
4th, 1493, Columbus started on the return voy- 
age. He met Martin Pinzon on the way, but 
no longer was there any confidence between 
them. 

Both ships were almost overcome by fierce 
storms, and they became separated. For many 
days the little Nina was tossed and buffeted by 
the waves, and was driven far out of her 
course. At length, however, the Island of St. 
Mary, of the Azores group, was reached. 

Another storm drove the little caravel from 
her anchorage at St. Mary's, and for several 
days she was tossed about at the mercy of the 
waves before being able to return. 

The Azores belonged to Portugal, and of 
the Portuguese Columbus was suspicious, so 
as soon as he could leave St. Mary's, he set sail 
for Spain. 

Storms raged fiercely, and it seemed that 



A WONDERFUL VOYAGE n 

only the hand of God kept them safe. But 
finally, after having been forced to run into 
the mouth of the river Tagus, the adventurers 
reached Palos, from which point they had de- 
parted seven and a half months ago. 

A great reception was given to the returned 
heroes, and in the midst of the rejoicing the 
Pinta, which was thought to have been lost, 
reached port. 

Truly this was a wonderful voyage, the suc- 
cess of which was due only to the indomitable 
courage and perseverance of Christopher Co- 
lumbus. He did not discover the India he set 
out to find, but he did discover a land which 
now contains the world's greatest republic, 
and which for centuries has paid tribute to 
the memory of a daring explorer. 



KING OLAF'S LAST FIGHT 

Hakon, the father of Earl Erik, had been the 

real ruler of Norway, although not of royal 

birth. He was a man of great courage and 

strength, and had been very popular with his 

people, who for many years recognized him 

as their sovereign. But as he acquired more 

power, he became cruel and deceitful, so that 

his people began to hate him. 

At last they rebelled, and just at this time 

Olaf Triggvison, grandson of King Harold 

Fairhair, arrived in Norway, and him the 

royal people made their king, Hakon being 

slain in battle. This was in the year 995, five 

years before the time of this story. And these 

five years had brought peace and prosperity 

to Norway such as the people of that country 

had not before known, and they had adopted 

Christianity in place of Paganism. 

12 



KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 13 

The kings of Sweden and Denmark had be- 
come very jealous of King Olaf, but each of 
them feared to war against him, because of his 
powerful navy. This jealousy was fanned by 
Earl Erik, who was famous as a viking, and 
whose fleet of battleships was greater than that 
of either the king of Sweden or of Denmark, 
and about equal to that of Olaf. 

He was eager to take revenge upon the lat- 
ter for having overthrown his father Hakon. 

At length the three fleets joined, and there 
was war between the allies and Norway. 

The Swedes and Danes, with Earl Erik, had 
an overwhelming force of ships and warriors, 
but the Norsemen were all picked men and 
able sailors. The hostile fleets met, and from 
early morning the battle had raged fiercely. 
By noon most of the ships of Sweden and Den- 
mark were either sunk or had withdrawn from 
the fight, defeated. But the cost to the Norse- 
men was heavy. Half of King Olaf's ships 
had been disabled, but none was boarded, or 
captured. 

The plan of the allies was for the combined 
ships of Sweden and Denmark to make the 



i 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

attack, while Erik's fleet should be held in re- 
serve. The crafty Earl was very sure that, 
while King Olaf s vessels would be battered 
and bruised, he would prove more than a 
match for his opponents, even though the odds 
were against him, so skilful a general was he. 
But he was also sure that, reduced in numbers 
and strength as the Norsemen would be, vic- 
tory would be comparatively easy for him, 
with his fresh ships and men. 

He was a Norseman himself, and had, in 
his time, fought against all Scandinavian 
countries, including his own. He, therefore, 
knew the mettle of his own men, and of those 
he was about to attack. His judgment told 
him that the battle now could have but one re- 
sult — victory for him. King Olaf had lost 
half his ships, and his warriors were spent and 
weary. He himself was wise in warfare; his 
ships now outnumbered those of his opponent 
by two to one, and his vikings were eager for 
the battle. 

This was an opportunity for which he had 
long waited. He had expected to occupy the 
throne of Norway on his father's death, but 



KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 15 

this hope Olaf had shattered. To be revenged, 
he had induced the kings of Sweden and Den- 
mark to declare war against his enemy, and 
now his vengeance was at hand. 

King Olaf had seven ships which were not 
disabled, while Earl Erik led fifteen into the 
fray. The ship which Olaf himself com- 
manded was larger than any of the others. It 
stood much higher out of the water, and this 
made it almost impossible to board. Erik 
wisely gave his attention first to the wrecking 
of the smaller vessels. His own ships were 
fitted with sharp, iron-bound prows, which 
were terribly effective when used for ram- 
ming. 

Selecting the ships upon the extreme right 
and left wings, he directed three of his vessels 
to ram each, the rowers using their utmost 
speed. This was successfully done, and soon 
Erik's vigorous vikings were engaged in ter- 
rific combat with the tired warriors, who had 
already borne the brunt of a day's hard fight- 
ing, and were almost exhausted. 

The defenders who were not slain jumped 
into the sea, and swam to the nearest ship, the 



16 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

captured vessels being taken to the rear. The 
operation was then repeated, and after a fierce 
struggle, the next two ships were out of action. 

King Olaf's great battleship, the Long Ser- 
pent, was now the object of attack, but Erik 
knew that Olaf's generalship and splendid sea- 
manship would make this no easy task. The 
afternoon was advanced, and in four hours 
darkness would be upon them. 

The Long Serpent had been reinforced by 
the men driven from the captured ships, and 
a perfect rain of arrows was kept up upon her 
swarm of adversaries. Erik soon saw that he 
could not board this vessel as he had the oth- 
ers; it towered above his own decks, making 
it impossible to reach the bulwarks. 

Stratagem must be used. He gave the sig- 
nal to retire, and then consulted with his cap- 
tains. One of them suggested that heavy 
weights be thrown on one side of the deck of 
the Long Serpent, making the ship lean over. 
It would then be easy to board. Erik thought 
this a good plan, and having made the 
necessary preparations, he urged the rowers to 
their utmost, and rammed the Long Serpent 



KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 17 

amidships with great force, making the ship 
keel half over. 

Other ships had been sent to the opposite 
side, and now the men hurled logs of wood and 
everything that had weight over the gunwale. 
The stout vessel leaned over, and quickly 
bridges of oars were made, across which the 
vikings swarmed. 

And now the conflict was more fierce than 
ever. Three out of four of Erik's men who 
attempted to board were slain, and the Earl 
began to regret his strategy. But it was too 
late to withdraw, so he ordered that every- 
thing of weight from all of his ships that it 
was possible to move be thrown upon the de- 
voted vessel, even to the stones used as bal- 
last. 

This was done, and soon the Long Serpent, 
under the heavy load, leaned over so that her 
gunwale was almost on a level with the other 
ships. And now Erik himself led his vikings 
on board. 

From the first the battle had been unequal, 
so greatly was King Olaf outnumbered in 
ships and men, but he was still the undaunted 



18 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

warrior. The odds against him now were so 
great that there could be but one end. With 
his brave warriors he fought on and on, pre- 
ferring death to surrender. 

And now only five of them were left, and 
King Olaf himself was sorely wounded; he 
had fought a great fight, and lost. The day 
was drawing to a close, and darkness was ap- 
proaching. By his side was a faithful coun- 
sellor and friend; together they ran to the rail 
of the ship, and leaped into the sea. 

Earl Erik was filled with wrath that Olaf 
had escaped him, for he had wished to capture 
the king even more than he desired victory. 
He looked across the water and saw the two 
swimming. Presently one of them disap- 
peared; boats were sent to secure the other, 
who proved to be the King's friend. 

The sun was setting in a blaze of glory, and 
those looking over the sea were amazed to 
see a bright light, in the center of which was 
a cross. 

Legend has it that King Olaf reached the 
shore, and finally journeyed to Rome. But 
never did he return to Norway. 



KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 19 

Earl Erik soon afterwards renounced Pa- 
ganism, and became a Christian. His ships 
had been decorated with images of Thor; 
these he removed, and in their place were put 
figures of the Cross. 



HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 

On April 17th, 1610, Henry Hudson set sail 
from the river Thames on his last voyage of 
discovery. 

It was his ambition to discover a passage 
round the northern part of the world, which 
he was sure existed. Already he had made 
three attempts to find a way through the north- 
east, and on his second voyage, in 1608, he had 
reached Nova Scotia, but had not succeeded 
in his quest. 

Undaunted by his former failure, he re- 
solved to try his fortune by a westward route, 
so now he started upon his perilous search in 
a small ship, manned by twenty-three sailors. 

Among those on board the ship was a young 
man named Henry Greene, to whom he had 
long been a friend. Of such character was 
this young man that all his former friends and 



HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 21 

acquaintances would have nothing more to do 
with him, and he was in desperate straits when 
Hudson took him into his home, and treated 
him as though he were his own son. 

By the time they had reached the coast of 
Iceland, Greene had quarreled with most of 
his shipmates, and here he came near causing 
the surgeon, who accompanied the expedition, 
to leave them, and go ashore. But Hudson 
managed to settle the differences between 
them. 

The ship continued in a northwesterly di- 
rection, and in time reached the channel 
which is now known as Hudson's Strait, 
named after the intrepid explorer. Through 
this they passed, now sailing south, and they 
came to a bay, now called Hudson's Bay. 

Summer had gone, and it was becoming 
colder and colder. They had reached the 
southern shore of the vast bay, and here Hud- 
son decided to land, and build a house in 
which they could pass the winter. 

He directed the carpenter to go ashore and 
begin the building. But the carpenter re- 
fused, saying that he would not and could not 



22 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

construct any sort of a dwelling place in such 
cold weather, and that the ground was unfit. 

Hudson determined to stay where they were 
during the winter, and continue his voyage of 
discovery as soon as the ice should disappear, 
so he sought and found a sheltered place where 
the ship was anchored. 

The matter of provisions caused him some 
worry, but, fortunately, game was plentiful 
during the colder months. Their greatest 
hardship at this time was caused by the sever- 
ity of the weather, and several of the men suf- 
fered from frost-bite. 

But with the approach of spring the game 
disappeared, and they were obliged to rely 
entirely upon their original supply of food, 
which was running low. They were still 
locked in the ice when they were surprised by 
a visit from a lone Eskimo. 

Hudson treated the savage kindly, and gave 
him numerous presents. He tried to get some 
information from him about the land and 
water farther north, but without success. The 
Eskimo stayed on board for two days, and then 
made signs that he must leave them, but would 



HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 23 

return later. They saw no more of him. 

As soon as the ice cleared sufficiently to al- 
low the passage of a boat, Hudson sent some 
of the men out fishing. Among these was 
Henry Greene, and as soon as they were away 
from the ship, he sought to make the others 
agree to mutiny. All of them were discon- 
tented, and he easily persuaded them to con- 
sent to do as he suggested. 

When the men returned from their fishing 
expedition, which was fairly successful, Hud- 
son decided to explore the coast, to see if he 
could discover any of the tribe to which the 
savage who had visited them belonged. But 
he did not find a single human being. 

This was discouraging, because the supply 
of food was very low now, and he knew that 
they could not stay long where they were, with 
no means of adding to their stock of provisions 
other than what fish they might catch. 

The ice had now broken up sufficiently for 
the ship to go out into the broad bay, and so, to 
his sorrow and great disappointment (for he 
greatly wished to continue his exploration), 
he was obliged to give orders to sail for home. 



24 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

But before starting, all the food on board was 
collected, and then divided equally among 
them. 

Their progress was slow, on account of the 
masses of drifting ice, and it soon became ap- 
parent that the food would not last until Eng- 
land could be reached. 

Greene had been plotting with the crew to 
mutiny. Among those he had not yet sounded 
was Pricket, the man who kept a chronicle of 
the expedition. 

Now Pricket was faithful to Henry Hud- 
son, and when one night he was awakened by 
Greene, and asked to join the mutineers, he 
was filled with horror. It was dark, and 
Greene did not see the look of fear and dis- 
gust upon Pricket's face, but went on to tell 
him that his plan was to put their captain and 
those who were sick adrift in the boat, to save 
themselves if they could. 

Pricket endeavored to turn Greene from his 
purpose, pointing out what an awful thing it 
was, and that none of the mutineers would 
dare return to England. He refused to join 
them, and Greene, in a rage, told Pricket that 



HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 25 

he should be put into the boat with Hudson 
and the sick men. 

Greene called the boatswain, and leaving 
him to guard Pricket, went away to talk with 
King, the carpenter, who had not yet been ap- 
proached. 

Presently Greene returned, carrying a lan- 
tern; by its dim light Pricket saw that upon 
his face was a look of hatred, and he was now 
sure that Greene's chief motive was revenge. 
He recalled that upon more than one occasion 
the captain had been compelled to publicly 
censure Greene, and to his mind this explained 
the mutineer's present conduct. 

Pricket told Greene and the boatswain what 
he thought to be the real reason for the mutiny, 
but each swore that the only reason was the 
good of the crew, and that no bodily harm 
should be done to anyone. 

Now Greene wished to win Pricket to his 
way of thinking, because he was the only man 
on the boat, other than Hudson, who possessed 
a knowledge of navigation, and, therefore, his 
services would be very necessary. 

The carpenter also had refused to agree 



26 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

to Greene's plans, and so it was decided to put 
him in the boat with Hudson. Pricket be- 
sought Greene to spare King, and to this he 
finally consented, thinking thereby to bribe 
him. 

Soon after daylight Hudson came out of 
his cabin, and immediately he was caught 
from behind, and pinioned. The carpenter 
endeavored to assist his master, but was held 
back by the mutineers. 

The boat was lowered, and into it were 
placed all of the sick men. Pricket did his 
best to prevent this, but the ringleader, 
Greene, showed himself to be without pity, 
and thereupon ordered him to be locked in his 
cabin. 

Hudson was forced over the side and into 
the boat, and with him his son John. Henry 
King, the carpenter, refused to stay on the 
ship, and so his chest was thrown into the boat, 
and he followed it. 

The rope was cut, and the boat cast adrift 
in the icy sea. What became of its occupants 
has never been discovered. But the fame of 



HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 27 

the intrepid explorer will never die, and the 
great River and Bay which bear his name 
form an everlasting monument to a brave man. 

The lot of the mutineers proved to be any- 
thing but a happy one. Most of them were 
stricken with remorse for their cruel deed. 
Pricket was forced to take command, a posi- 
tion he did not in the least desire. 

A fierce gale sprang up, and for two weeks 
the ship was surrounded by ice. At last they 
escaped from this, and at the end of July, 161 1, 
they reached Digges' Cape. Here some of 
them went ashore, where they were attacked 
by savages, and all but one of them mortally 
wounded. This man rowed the boat, with the 
stricken sailors on board, back to the ship, and 
before night had fallen, each one of the 
wounded was dead, Greene being the first 
to go. 

There were now but few men left to work 
the boat, and these were in rags, and starving. 
Finally, in a condition # too pitiable to mention, 
this remnant of the crew reached Solway Bay, 
on the coast of Ireland. 



28 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Their tale was told, and an expedition was 
sent from England in quest of Hudson and his 
companions, but no trace of them was ever 
discovered. 



THE OPENING OF JAPAN TO THE 
WORLD 

It is to the United States of America that 
Japan is really indebted for her present posi- 
tion as one of the great powers of the world. 

For hundreds of years this empire of the 
east had kept to the policy of having nothing 
to do with other nations. The Japanese be- 
lieved that they were too superior a people to 
permit themselves to have any intercourse 
with the rest of the world. They did, how- 
ever, make an exception of Holland, whose 
sailors were permitted to make one visit a year 
to their capital. 

But this was not a very pleasant matter for 
their Dutch guests, because they were re- 
quested to stay as short a time as possible, and 
not only were they given to understand that 
their presence was not particularly welcome, 

29 



3 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

but whenever the captain of a ship or any of 
the officers had occasion to visit a magistrate 
or any other dignitary, he had to degrade him- 
self by crawling on his hands and knees before 
the official. 

It is true that in this way the Dutch traders 
introduced a small amount of Japanese mer- 
chandise to their markets, but it also taught 
the Japanese to think less than ever of these 
western people, who would allow themselves 
to be treated in so humiliating a manner. 

Business relations with the east were grow- 
ing rapidly, and the countries of Europe and 
America became irritated because Japan re- 
fused to open her ports to their ships. One 
Russian captain boldly attempted to land, and 
he and his sailors were captured and kept as 
prisoners for two years. If a Japanese were 
known to leave his own country and visit an- 
other, he was not permitted to return. 

When Jackson was President of the United 
States, he made a strenuous effort to open com- 
mercial relations with Japan, but without suc- 
cess. This was in the year 1 83 1 . Twenty- four 
years later Commodore Biddle, with two war 



OPENING OF JAPAN 31 

ships, made an attempt to negotiate a treaty 
with the island empire, and in this he not only 
failed, but was treated with the greatest con- 
tempt. 

A few years later the Government decided 
that this state of affairs could be tolerated no 
longer, so Commodore Matthew Calbraith 
Perry, who was sure that a peaceful opening 
with Japan could be made, and who had made 
a very careful study of the problem, was ap- 
pointed to command an expedition with this 
end in view. 

He left Norfolk, Va., in March, 1852, on 
the steamer Mississippi, and in the Spring of 
the following year he reached Hongkong, 
China, where he added to his expedition the 
steamship Susquehannah, and the ships Sara- 
toga and Plymouth. 

On July 7th, he arrived at Urago, in the bay 
of Yedo. Here the ships dropped anchor, 
greatly to the indignation of the inhabitants. 
Boats from the shore were sent with orders to 
request the immediate departure of the ships, 
but Perry would allow no one on board. 
Through an interpreter he gave them to un- 



32 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

derstand that he would receive none but the 
highest dignitaries. He also let them see that 
his ships were ready for action. 

So the boats returned without any message 
having been delivered, but they took one back 
with them. That this was effective was soon 
shown by the fact that another boat left the 
shore bearing the vice-governor of the district. 
Perry showed some hesitation about allowing 
him to come on board, but at length said that 
he could speak with one of his lieutenants, as 
his own rank would not permit him to give 
an interview with any but one who occupied a 
station of the highest importance. 

The vice-governor had to content himself 
with telling the lieutenant that the ships must 
leave the harbor at once, and proceed to Nag- 
asaki, where the Dutch were allowed to make 
their annual visit. 

The Lieutenant replied that such a request 
was an insult to the great President of the 
United States, who was represented by the 
commander of this expedition, and that the 
message he brought would be delivered only 
to an official of the highest rank. He added 



OPENING OF JAPAN 33 

that if the governor himself did not accept the 
message, they would force their way to the 
capital, if necessary, and deliver it to the Ty- 
coon* himself. 

The vice-governor left the ship, much im- 
pressed by the manner of his reception. Two 
more attempts he made to see Commander 
Perry, but without avail. The next visit was 
made by the governor of the district, and in 
accordance with his greater rank, Perry al- 
lowed him to see two captains. The governor 
was even more struck with the dignified stand 
taken by the President's representative than 
the vice-governor had been, and he went so 
far as to tender an apology for having inti- 
mated, during his talk with the two captains, 
that the Tycoon equalled in rank the Presi- 
dent of the United States. 

He finally said that the presenting of the 
message was a matter which would have to be 
passed upon by the Mikado himself, and that 
at least four days' time must elapse before he 
could hope for a reply. 

*The Mikado's personal representative. 



34 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The captains made their report to Commo- 
dore Perry, who said that as the capital was 
a journey of only a few hours, the reply must 
reach him within three days, otherwise the 
ships would go to Yedo (the capital), and he 
himself would go to the Tycoon's palace for a 
reply to the message. 

The governor was so greatly impressed by 
the Commodore's unflinching attitude, that he 
promised to comply with his commands. 

In three days' time a reply came to the effect 
that the Tycoon would send a high dignitary 
to receive the President's letter, and that an 
answer to it would be returned through either 
a Dutch or Chinese source. 

The commodore's reply intimated that this 
was an insult, and he threatened to force his 
way to the palace. This answer was effec- 
tive, and two days later, accompanied by the 
governor, vice-governor, and a large guard of 
honor, he went ashore in his barge, the ships 
firing a salute of thirteen guns as he stepped 
on land. 

Here he was received with the respect due 
to one of the most exalted rank. His creden- 



OPENING OF JAPAN 35 

tials and the President's letter were placed in 
receptacles of solid gold, a guard of honor 
was placed around a gorgeous sedan chair, in 
which he was invited to ride, and the proces- 
sion proceeded on its way to the* Tycoon's 
palace. 

The letter was received with every evidence 
of respect, and a formal receipt given for it. 
Commodore Perry was then told that a reply 
could not be made at this time, so he, fairly 
well satisfied with the temporary success of 
his mission, took his leave, saying that he 
would return for a definite answer in the 
course of a few months. 

He went back to his flagship, the Susque- 
hannah, and in order to show his independ- 
ence, moved his fleet up the bay to a point 
not far from the capital. Having thus in- 
troduced America to the Japanese, he left the 
bay of Yedo on July 17th, having spent ten 
days in an effort which was destined to be of 
great service not only to America, but to the 
whole world. 

It had been his intention to return to the bay 
of Yedo some time within the following three 



36 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

or four months, but shortly after the depart- 
ure of his fleet, he received news of the death 
of the Tycoon, and so delayed his visit until 
February, 1854. On this occasion he com- 
manded six ships, three of them being steam- 
ers, and objects of considerable interest to the 
Japanese who possess to an unusual degree 
the spirit of curiosity, and a desire to inves- 
tigate. 

Having reached the Bay of Yedo the sec- 
ond time, it became a matter of considera- 
tion as to what place should be selected for 
the delivery of the reply of the President's 
letter. The Commodore desired it to be the 
capital, but to this the authorities objected. 
After some argument, Yokohama, at that time 
a small village, but now a large and thriving 
city, was selected. There, on March 8th, the 
formal articles of convention between the 
United States of America and Japan were ex- 
changed, and the spot upon which the treaty 
was made has been, in a way, dedicated to 
America, for there stands the United Chris- 
tian church. 

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Com- 



OPENING OF JAPAN 37 

modore Perry invited the high Japanese dig- 
nitaries to attend a banquet on board his ship. 
Only a few months before this time such an 
invitation from a foreigner would have been 
considered an insult, but now it was accepted 
with pleasure, and it proved to be a means of 
creating a feeling of friendship between the 
two countries. 

Following the success of Commodore 
Perry's expedition, other nations signed com- 
mercial treaties with Japan, which country, as 
a result, has grown to be a great world power. 

And so was won, without bloodshed, one of 
the greatest of naval victories, the only guns 
fired being those used in saluting. 

As a monument to the memory of the Com- 
modore and Statesman, his son-in-law, Aug- 
ust Belmont, of New York, erected a superb 
bronze statue, which stands in Touro Park, 
Newport, Rhode Island. Perry's name is held 
in reverence by the people of Japan, for they 
look upon him as the man who brought about 
their real freedom. 



A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 

As Told by Captain Paul Jones Himself 

On the morning of that day, the 23rd (Sep- 
tember, 1779), the brig from Holland not be- 
ing in sight, we chased a brigantine that ap- 
peared laying to, to windward. About noon 
I manned and armed one of the pilot boats 
to send in pursuit of the brigantine, which 
now appeared to be the vessel that I had 
forced ashore. Soon after this a fleet of forty- 
one sails appeared of! Flamborough Head, 
bearing N.N.E. This induced me to abandon 
the single ship which had then anchored in 
Burlington Bay; I also called back the pilot 
boat, and hoisted a signal for a general chase. 
When the fleet discovered us bearing down, 
all the merchant ships crowded sail towards 
the shore. The two ships of war that pro- 

38 



A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 39 

tected the fleet at the same time steered from 
the land, and made the disposition for bat- 
tle. In approaching the enemy, I crowded 
every possible sail, and made the signal for 
the line of battle, to which the Alliance 
showed no attention. Earnest as I was for the 
action, I could not reach the commodore's 
ship until seven in the evening, being then 
within pistol shot, when he hailed the Bon 
Homme Richard. We answered him by fir- 
ing a whole broadside. 

The battle being thus begun was continued 
with unremitting fury. Every method was 
practiced on both sides to gain an advantage, 
and rake each other; and I must confess that 
the enemy's ship, being much more manage- 
able than the Bon Homme Richard, gained 
thereby several times an advantageous situa- 
tion, in spite of my best endeavors to prevent 
it. As I had to deal with an enemy of greatly 
superior force, I was under the necessity of 
closing with him, to prevent the advantage 
which he had over me in this point of ma- 
noeuvre. It was my intention to lay the Bon 
Homme Richard athwart the enemy's bow; 



40 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

but as the operation required great dexterity 
in the management of both sails and helm, and 
some of our braces being shot away, it did not 
exactly succeed to my wish. The enemy's 
bowspirit, however, came over the Bon 
Homme Richard's poop by the mizzenmast, 
and I made both ships fast together in that 
situation, which, by the action of the wind 
on the enemy's sails, forced her stern close to 
the Bon Homme Richard's bow, so that the 
ships lay square alongside of each other, the 
yards being all entangled, and the cannon of 
each ship touching the opponents. When this 
position took place it was eight o'clock, pre- 
vious to which the Bon Homme Richard had 
received sundry eighteen-pound shots, on 
which I had placed my chief dependence, be- 
ing commanded by Dale and Colonel Wei- 
bert, and manned principally with American 
seamen and French volunteers, was entirely 
silenced and abandoned. 

As to the six old eighteen-pounders that 
formed the battery of the lower gun-deck, 
they did no service whatever, except firing 
eight shots in all. Two out of the three of 



A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 41 

them burst at the first fire, and killed almost 
all of the men who were stationed to manage 
them. Before this time, too, Colonel de 
Chamillard, who commanded a party of 
twenty soldiers on the poop, had abandoned 
that station after having lost some of his men. 
I had now only two pieces of cannon (nine- 
pounders) on the quarter deck that were not 
now silenced, and not one of the heavier 
cannon was fired during the rest of the 
action. 

The purser, M. Mease, who commanded 
the guns on the quarter-deck, being danger- 
ously wounded in the head, I was obliged to 
fill his place, and with great difficulty rallied 
a few men, and shifted over one of the lee 
quarter-deck guns, so that we afterwards 
played three pieces of nine-pounders upon the 
enemy. The tops alone seconded the fire of 
this little battery, and held out bravely dur- 
ing the whole of the action, especially the 
main-top, where Lieutenant Stack com- 
manded. I directed the fire of one of the 
three cannon against the mainmast, with 
double-headed shot, while the other two were 



42 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

exceedingly well served with grape and can- 
nister shot, to silence the enemy's musketry 
and clear her decks, which was at last ef- 
fected. 

The enemy were, as I have since under- 
stood, on the instant of calling for quarter, 
when the cowardice or treachery of three of 
my under-officers induced them to call to the 
enemy. The English commodore asked me if 
I demanded quarter, and I having answered 
him in the most determined negative, they re- 
newed the battle with double fury. They 
were unable to stand on the deck; but the fire 
of their cannon, especially the lower battery, 
which was entirely formed of ten-pounders, 
was incessant; both ships were set on fire in 
various places, and the scene was dreadful 
beyond the reach of language. To account for 
the timidity of my three under-officers, I 
mean, the gunner, the carpenter, and the mas- 
ter-at-arms, I must observe that the first two 
were slightly wounded, and, as the ship had 
received various shot under water, and one 
of the pumps being shot away, the carpenter 
expressed his fears that she would sink, and 



A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 43 

the other two concluded that she was sink- 
ing, which occasioned the gunner to run aft on 
the poop, without my knowledge, to strike the 
colors. Fortunately for me, a cannon ball had 
done that before, by carrying away the en- 
sign-staff; he was therefore reduced to the 
necessity of sinking, as he supposed, or of call- 
ing for quarter, and he preferred the latter. 

All this time the Bon Homme Richard had 
sustained the action alone, and the enemy, 
though much superior in force, would have 
been very glad to have got clear, as appears 
by their own acknowledgment, and by their 
having let go an anchor the instant that I laid 
them on board, by which means they would 
have escaped, had I not made them fast to 
the Bon Homme Richard. 

My situation was really deplorable; the 
Bon Homme Richard received various shot 
under water from the Alliance; the leaks 
gained on the pumps, and the fire increased 
much on board both ships. Some officers per- 
suaded me to strike, of whose courage and 
good sense I entertained a high opinion. My 
treacherous master-at-arms let loose all my 



44 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

prisoners without my knowledge, and my 
prospects became gloomy indeed. I would 
not, however, give up the point. The en- 
emy's mainmast began to shake, their firing 
decreased fast, ours rather increased, and the 
British colors were struck at half-past ten. 
This prize proved to be the British ship 
of war the Serapis, 2l new ship of forty-four 
guns, built on the most approved construction, 
with two complete batteries, one of them of 
eighteen-pounders, and commanded by the 
brave Commodore Richard Pearson. I have 
yet two enemies to encounter, far more for- 
midable than the Britons, I mean, fire and 
water. The Serapis was attacked only by the 
first, but the Bon Homme Richard was as- 
sailed by both; there was five feet of water in 
the hold, and though it was moderate from the 
explosion of so much gunpowder, yet the three 
pumps that remained could with difficulty 
only keep the water from gaining. The fire 
broke out in various parts of the ship, in spite 
of all the water that could be thrown in to 
quench it, and at length broke out as low as 
the powder magazine, and within a few inches 



A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 45 

of the powder. In that dilemma, I took out 
the powder upon deck, ready to be thrown 
overboard at the last extremity, and it was 
ten o'clock the next day, the 24th, before the 
fire was entirely extinguished. 

With respect to the situation of the Bon 
Homme Richard, the rudder was cut entirely 
off, the stern frame and transoms were almost 
entirely cut away, and the timbers by the 
lower deck, especially from the mainmast 
towards the stern, being greatly decayed with 
age, were mangled beyond my power of de- 
scription, and a person must have been an eye- 
witness to form a just idea of the tremendous 
scene of carnage, wreck, and ruin, which 
everywhere appeared. Humanity cannot but 
recoil from the prospect of such finished hor- 
ror, and lament that war should be capable 
of producing such fatal consequences. The 
wind augmented in the night, and the next 
day, the 25th, it was impossible to prevent 
the good ship from sinking. 

They did not abandon her until after nine 
o'clock; the water was then up to the lower 
deck, and a little after ten I saw, with inex- 



46 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

pressible grief, the last glimpse of the Bon 
Homme Richard. No lives were lost with the 
ship, but it was impossible to save the stores 
of any sort whatever. I lost even the best 
part of my clothes, books and papers; and 
several of my officers lost all their clothes and 
effects. 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS AND 
ENGLISH MASTIFFS 

When the sun leaped up the next morning, 
and the tropic light flashed suddenly into the 
tropic day, Amyas was pacing the deck, with 
dishevelled hair and torn clothes, his eyes red 
with rage and weeping, his heart full — how 
can I describe it? Picture it to yourselves, 
you who have ever lost a brother, and you 
who have not, thank God that you know noth- 
ing of his agony. Full of impossible projects, 
he strode and staggered up and down, as the 
ship thrashed close-hauled through the rolling 
seas. He would go back and burn the villa. 
He would take La Guayra, and have the life 
of every man in it in return for his brother's. 
"We can do it, lads!" he shouted. "If Drake 
took Nombre de Dios we can take La 

47 



48 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Guayra." And every voice shouted, "Yes." 

"There are the Spanish bloodhounds on our 
heels, the same ships which we saw yester- 
day off La Guayra. Back, lads, and welcome 
them, if they were a dozen." 

There was a murmur of applause from all 
around; and if any young heart sank for a 
moment at the prospect of fighting three ships 
at once, it was awed into silence by the cheer 
which rose from all the older men, and by Sal- 
vation Yeo's stentorian voice. 

"If there were a dozen, the Lord is with 
us, who has said, 'One of you shall chase a 
thousand.' Clear away, lads, and see the glory 
of the Lord this day." 

"Amen!" cried Cary; and the ship was 
kept still closer to the wind. 

Amyas had revived at the sight of battle. 
He no longer felt his wounds, or his great sor- 
row; even Frank's last angel's look grew dim- 
mer every moment as he bustled around the 
deck; and ere a quarter of an hour had passed, 
his voice cried firmly and cheerfully as of 
old— 

"Now, my masters, let us serve God, and 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 49 

then to breakfast, and after that clear for ac- 
tion." 

Jack Brimblecombe read the daily prayers, 
and the prayers before a fight at sea, and his 
honest voice trembled, as, in the Prayer for 
all Conditions of Men (in spite of Amyas's 
despair), he added, "and especially for our 
dear brother Mr. Francis Leigh, perhaps cap- 
tive among the idolaters" ; and so they rose. 

"Now, then," said Amyas, "to breakfast: A 
Frenchman fights best fasting, and a Dutch- 
man drunk, an Englishman full, and a Span- 
iard when the devil is in him, and that's al- 
ways." 

"And good beef and the good cause are a 
match for the devil," said Cary. "Come 
down, captain ; you must eat too." 

Amyas shook his head, took the tiller from 
the steersman, and bade him go below and 
fill himself. Will Cary went down, and re- 
turned in five minutes with a plate of bread 
and beef, a great jack of ale, coaxed them 
down Amyas's throat, as a nurse does with a 
child, and then scuttled below again with tears 
hopping down his face. 



50 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Amyas stood still steering. His face was 
grown seven years older in the last night. A 
terrible set calm was on him. Woe to the 
man who came across him that day! 

"There are three of them, you see, my mas- 
ters," said he, as the crew came on deck again. 
"A big ship forward, and two galleys astern 
of her. The big ship may keep; she is a race 
ship, and if we can but recover the wind of 
her, we will see whether our height is not a 
match for her length. We must give her the 
slip, and take the galleys first." 

"I thank the Lord," said Yeo, "who has 
given so wise a heart to so young a general; 
a very David and Daniel, saving his presence, 
lads; and if any dare not follow him, let him 
be as the men of Meroz and of Succoth. 
Amen! Silas Stavely, smite me that boy over 
the head, the young monkey; why is he not 
down at the powder-room door?" 

And Yeo went about his gunnery, as one 
who knew how to do it, and had the most ter- 
rible mind to do it thoroughly, and the most 
terrible faith that it was God's work. 

So all fell to; and though there was com- 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 51 

paratively little to be done, the ship having 
been kept as far as could be in fighting order 
all night, yet there was "clearing of decks, lac- 
ing of nettings, making of bulwarks, fitting of 
waistcloths, arming of tops, tallowing of 
pikes, slinging of yards, doubling of sheets 
and tacks," enough to satisfy even the pedan- 
tical soul of Richard Hawkins himself. 
Amyas took charge of the poop, Cary of the 
forecastle, and Yeo, as gunner, of the main- 
deck, while Drew, as master, settled himself 
in the waist; and all was ready, and more 
than ready, before the great ship was within 
two miles of them. 

The great ship is now within two musket- 
shots of the Rose, with the golden flag of 
Spain floating at her poop; and her trumpets 
are shouting defiance up the breeze, from a 
dozen brazen throats, which two or three an- 
swer lustily from the Rose, from whose poop 
flies the flag of England, and from her fore 
the arms of Leigh and Cary side by side, 
and over them the ship and bridge of 
the good town of Biddeford. And then 
Amyas calls: 



52 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"Now, silence trumpets, waits, play up! 
'Fortune my foe!' and God and the Queen be 
with us!" 

Whereon (laugh not, reader, for it was the 
fashion of those musical, as well as valiant 
days) up rose that noble old favourite of good 
Queen Bess, from cornet and sackbut, fife and 
drum; while Parson Jack, who had taken his 
stand with the musicians on the poop, worked 
away lustily at his violin, like Volker of the 
Nibelungen Lied. 

"Well played, Jack; thy elbow flies like a 
lamb's tail," then said Amyas, forcing a 
jest. 

"It shall fly to a better fiddle-bow pres- 
ently, sir, and I have the luck " . 

"Steady, helm!" said Amyas. "What is he 
after now?" 

The Spaniard, who had been coming upon 
them right down the wind under a press of 
sail, took in his light canvas. 

"He don't know what to make of our wait- 
ing for him so bold," immediately said the 
helmsman. 

"He does, though, and means to fight us," 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 53 

cried another. "See, he is hauling up the 
foot of his mainsail; but he wants to keep the 
wind of us." 

"Let him try, then," quoth Amyas. "Keep 
her closer still. Let no one fire till we are 
about. Man the starboard guns; to starboard, 
and wait, all small-arm men. Pass the order 
down to the gunner, and bid all fire high, and 
take the rigging." 

Bang went one of the Spaniard's bow guns, 
and the shot went wide. Then another and 
another, while the men fidgeted about, look- 
ing at the priming of their muskets, and loos- 
ened their arrows in the sheaf. 

"Lie down, men, and sing a psalm. When 
I want you, I'll call you. Closer still, if you 
can, helmsman, and we will try a short ship 
against a long one. We can sail two points 
nearer the wind than he." 

As Amyas had calculated, the Spaniard 
would gladly enough have stood across the 
Rose's bows, but, knowing the English readi- 
ness, dare not for fear of being raked; so her 
only plan, if she did not intend to shoot past 
her foe down to leeward, was to put her head 



54 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

close to the wind, and wait for her on the 
same tack. 

Amyas laughed to himself. "Hold on yet 
awhile. More ways of killing a cat than 
choking her with cream. Drew, there, are 
your men ready?" 

"Ay, ay, sir!" and on they went, closing 
fast with the Spaniard, till within a pistol- 
shot. 

"Ready about!" and about she went like an 
eel, and ran upon the opposite tack right un- 
der the Spaniard's stern. The Spaniard, 
astounded at the quickness of the manoeuvre, 
hesitated a moment, and then tried to get 
about also, as his only chance; but it was too 
late, and while his lumbering length was still 
hanging in the wind's eye, Amyas's bowsprit 
had all but scraped his quarter, and the Rose 
passed slowly across his stern at ten yards' 
distance. 

"Now, then!" roared Amyas. "Fire, and 
with a will! Have at her, archers: have at 
her, muskets, all!" and in an instant a storm of 
bar and chain-shot, round and canister, swept 
the proud Don from stem to stern, while 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 55 

through the white cloud of smoke the musket- 
balls, and the still deadlier clothyard ar- 
rows, whistled and rushed upon their veno- 
mous errand. Down went the steersman, and 
every soul who manned the poop. Down went 
the mizzen-topmast, in went the stern-win- 
dows and quarter-galleries; and as the smoke 
cleared away, the gorgeous painting of the 
Madre Dolorosa, with her heart full of seven 
swords, which, in a gilded frame, bedizened 
the Spanish stern, was shivered in splinters; 
while, most glorious of all, the golden flag of 
Spain, which the last moment flaunted above 
their heads, hung trailing in the water. The 
ship, her tiller shot away, and her helmsman 
killed, staggered helplessly a moment, and 
then fell up into the wind. 

"Well done, men of Devon!" shouted 
Amyas, as cheers rent the welkin. 

"She has struck," cried some, as the deaf- 
ening hurrahs died away. 

"Not a bit," said Amyas. "Hold on, helms- 
man, and leave her to patch her tackle while 
we settle the galleys." 

On they shot merrily, and, long ere the ar- 



56 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

mada could get herself to rights again, were 
two good miles to windward, with the galleys 
sweeping down fast upon them. 

And two venomous-looking craft they were, 
as they shot through the short chopping sea 
upon some forty oars apiece, stretching their 
long sword-fish snouts over the water, as if 
snuffing for their prey. Behind this long 
snout, a strong square forecastle was crammed 
with soldiers, and the muzzles of cannon 
grinned out through port-holes, not only in 
the sides of the forecastle, but forward in the 
line of the galley's course, thus enabling her 
to keep up a continual fire on a ship right 
ahead. 

The long low waist was packed full of the 
slaves, some five or six to each oar^ and down 
the centre, between the two banks, the Eng- 
lish could see the slave-drivers walking up 
and down a long gangway, whip in hand. A 
raised quarter-deck at the stern held more sol- 
diers, the sunlight flashing merrily upon their 
armour and their gun-barrels; as they neared, 
the English could hear plainly the cracks of 
the whips, and the yells as of wild beasts 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 57 

which answered them; the roll and rattle of 
the oars, and the loud "Ha!" of the slaves 
which accompanied every stroke, and the 
oaths and curses of the drivers; while a sick- 
ening musky smell, as of a pack of kennelled 
hounds, came down the wind from off those 
dens of misery. No wonder if many a young 
heart shuddered, as it faced, for the first time, 
the horrible reality of those floating hells, the 
cruelties whereof had rung so often in English 
ears, from the stories of their own country- 
men, who had passed them, fought them, and 
now and then passed years of misery on board 
of them. Who knew but what there might be 
English among those sun-browned half-naked 
masses of panting wretches? 

"Must we fire upon the slaves?" asked more 
than one, as the thought crossed him. 

Amyas sighed. 

"Spare them all you can, in God's name; 
but if they try to run us down, rake them we 
must, and God forgive us." 

The two galleys came on abreast of each 
other, some forty yards apart. To outmanoeu- 
vre their oars as he had done the ship's sails, 



58 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Amyas knew was impossible. To run from 
them was to be caught between them and the 
ship. He made up his mind, as usual, to the 
desperate game. 

"Lay her head up in the wind, helmsman, 
and we will wait for them." 

They were now within musket-shot, and 
opened fire from their bow-guns; but, 
owing to the chopping sea, their aim 
was wild. Amyas, as usual, withheld his 
fire. 

The men stood at quarters with compressed 
lips, not knowing what was to come next. 
Amyas, towering motionless on the quarter- 
deck, gave his orders calmly and decisively. 
The men saw that he trusted himself, and 
trusted him accordingly. 

The Spaniards, seeing him wait for them, 
gave a shout of joy — was the Englishman 
mad? And the two galleys converged rap- 
idly, intending to strike him full, one on each 
bow. 

They were within forty yards — another 
minute, and the shock would come. The 
Englishman's helm went up, his yards creaked 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 59 

round, and gathering way, he plunged upon 
the larboard galley. 

"A dozen gold nobles to him who brings 
down the steersman!" shouted Cary, who had 
his cue. 

And a fight of arrows from the forecastle 
rattled upon the galley's quarter-deck. 

Hit or not hit, the steersman lost his nerve, 
and shrank from the coming shock. The gal- 
ley's helm went up to port, and her beak slid 
all but harmless along Amyas's bow; a long 
dull grind, and then loud crack on crack, as 
the Rose sawed slowly through bank of oars 
from stem to stern, hurling the wretched 
slaves in heaps upon each other; and ere her 
mate on the other side could swing around, 
to strike him in his new position, Amyas's 
whole broadside, great and small, had been 
poured into her at pistol-shot, and was an- 
swered by a yell which rent their ears and 
hearts. 

"Spare the slaves! Fire at the soldiers!" 
cried Amyas; but the work was too hot for 
much discrimination; for the larboard galley, 
crippled but not undaunted, swung round 



60 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

across his stern, and hooked herself veno- 
mously on to him. 

It was a move more brave than wise; for 
it prevented the other galley from returning 
to the attack without exposing herself a sec- 
ond time to the English broadside; and a des- 
perate attempt of the Spaniards to board at 
once through the stern-ports and up the quar- 
ter was met with such a demurrer of shot and 
steel, that they found themselves in three min- 
utes again upon the galley's poop, accompa- 
nied, to their intense disgust, by Amyas Leigh 
and twenty English swords. 

Five minutes' hard cutting, hand to hand, 
and the poop was clear. The soldiers in the 
forecastle had been able to give them no as- 
sistance, open as they lay to the arrows and 
musketry from the Rose's lofty stern. Amyas 
rushed along the central gangway, shouting 
in Spanish, "Freedom to the slaves! death to 
the masters!" clambered into the forecastle, 
followed close by his swarm of wasps, and set 
them so good an example how to use their 
stings, that in three minutes more, there was 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 61 

not a Spaniard on board who was not dead 
or dying. 

"Let the slaves free!" shouted he. "Throw 
us a hammer down, men. Hark! there's an 
English voice!" 

There is, indeed. From amid the wreck 
of broken oars and writhing limbs, a voice is 
shrieking in broadest Devon to the master, 
who is looking over the side. 

"O Robert Drew! Robert Drew! Come 
down and take me out of hell!" 

"Who be you, in the name of the Lord?" 

"Don't you mind William Prust, that Cap- 
tain Hawkins left behind in the Honduras, 
years and years agone? There's nine of us 
aboard, if your shot hasn't put them out of 
their misery. Come down, if you've a Chris- 
tian heart, come down!" 

Utterly forgetful of all discipline, Drew 
leaps down, hammer in hand, and the two 
old comrades rush into each other's arms. 

Why make a long story of what took but 
five minutes? The nine men (luckily none 
of them wounded) were freed, and helped 
on board, to be hugged and kissed by old com- 



62 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

rades and young kinsmen; while the remain- 
ing slaves, furnished with a couple of ham- 
mers, are told to free themselves and help the 
English. The wretches answer by shouts; 
and Amyas, once more safe on board again, 
dashed after the other galley, which has been 
hovering out of reach of his guns : but there 
is no need to trouble himself about her; sick- 
ened with what she has got, she is struggling 
right up wind, leaning over to one side, and 
seemingly ready to sink. 

"Are there any English on board of her?" 
asked Amyas, loth to lose the chance of free- 
ing a countryman. 

"Never a one, sir, thank God." 

So they set to work to repair damages; 
while the liberated slaves, having shifted some 
of the galley's oars, pulled away after their 
comrade; and that with such a will that in ten 
minutes they have caught her up, and, careless 
of the Spaniard's fire, boarded her en masse, 
with yells as of a thousand wolves. There 
will be fearful vengeance taken on those ty- 
rants, unless they play the man this day. 

She was a long flush-decked ship of full 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 63 

five hundred tons, more than double the size, 
in fact, of the Rose, not so lofty in propor- 
tion; and many a bold heart beat loud, and 
no shame to them, as she began firing away 
merrily, determined, as all well knew, to wipe 
out in English blood the disgrace of her late 
foil. 

"Never mind, my merry masters," said 
Amyas, "she has quantity and we quality." 

"That's true," said one, "for one honest man 
is worth two rogues." 

"And one culverin three of their footy lit- 
tle ordnance," said another. "So when you 
will, Captain, and have at her." 

"Let her come abreast of us, and don't burn 
powder. We have the wind, and can do what 
we like with her. Serve the men out a horn 
of ale all round, steward, and take your time." 

So they waited for five minutes more, and 
then set to work quietly, after the fashion of 
English mastiffs, though, like those mastiffs, 
they waxed right mad before three rounds 
were fired, and the white splinters (sight be- 
loved) began to crackle and fly. 

Amyas, having, as he had said, the wind, 



64 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

and being able to go nearer it than the Span- 
iard, kept his place at easy point-blank range 
for his two eighteen-pounder culverins, which 
Yeo and his mate worked with terrible ef- 
fect. 

"We are hacking her through and through 
every shot," said he. "Leave the small ord- 
nance alone yet a while, and we shall sink 
her without them." 

"Whing, whing," went the Spaniard's shot, 
like so many humming-tops, through the rig- 
ging far above their heads; for the ill-con- 
structed ports of those days prevented the guns 
from hulling an enemy who was to windward, 
unless close alongside. 

"Blow, jolly breeze," cried one, "and lay 
the Don over all thou canst. What the mur- 
rain is gone, aloft there?" 

Alas! a crack, a flap, a rattle; and blank dis- 
may! An unlucky shot had cut the foremast 
(already wounded) in two, and all forward 
was a mass of dangling wreck. 

"Forward, and cut away the wreck!" said 
Amyas, unmoved. "Small-arm men, be ready. 
He will be aboard of us in five minutes!" 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 65 

It was too true. The Rose, unmanageable 
from the loss of her head-sail, lay at the mercy 
of the Spaniards; and the archers and mus- 
queteers had hardly time to range them- 
selves to leeward, when the Madre Dolorosa's 
chains were grinding against the Rose's, 
and grapples tossed on board from stem to 
stern. 

"Don't cut them loose!" roared Amyas. 
"Let them stay and see the fun! Now, dogs 
of Devon, show your teeth, and hurrah for 
God and the Queen!" 

And then began a fight most fierce and fell; 
the Spaniards, according to their fashion, at- 
tempting to board; the English, amid fierce 
shouts of "God and the Queen!" "God and 
St. George for England !" sweeping them back 
by showers of arrows and musket-balls, thrust- 
ing them down with pikes, hurling grenades 
and stinkpots from the tops ; while the swivels 
on both sides poured their grape, and bar, and 
chain, and the great main-deck guns, thunder- 
ing muzzle to muzzle, made both ships quiver 
and recoil, as they smashed the shot through 
and through each other. 



66 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

So they roared and flashed, fast clenched 
to each other in that devil's wedlock, under a 
cloud of smoke beneath the cloudless tropic 
sky; while all around the dolphins gambolled, 
and the flying-fish shot on from swell to swell, 
and the rainbow-hued jellies opened and shut 
their cups of living crystal to the sun, as mer- 
rily as if man had never fallen, and hell had 
never broken loose on earth. 

So it raged on for an hour or more, till all 
arms were weary, and all tongues clove to the 
mouth. And sick men, rotting with scurvy, 
scrambled up on deck, and fought with the 
strength of madness; and tiny powder-boys, 
handing up cartridges from the hold, laughed 
and cheered as the shots ran past their ears; 
and old Salvation Yeo, a text upon his lips, 
and fury in his heart as of Joshua or Elijah 
in old time, worked on, calm and grim, but 
with the energy of a boy at play. And now 
and then an opening in the smoke showed the 
Spanish captain, in his suit of black steel ar- 
mour, standing cool and proud, guiding and 
pointing, careless of the iron hail, but too lofty 
a gentleman to soil his glove with aught but a 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 67 

knightly sword-hilt; while Amyas and Will, 
after the fashion of the English gentlemen, 
had stripped themselves nearly as bare as 
their own sailors, and were cheering, thrust- 
ing, hewing, and hauling, here, there, and 
everywhere, like any common mariner, and 
filling them with a spirit of self-respect, fel- 
low-feeling, and personal daring, which the 
discipline of the Spaniards, more perfect me- 
chanically, but cold and tyrannous, and crush- 
ing spiritually, never could bestow. The black- 
plumed Senor was obeyed; but the golden- 
locked Amyas was followed ; and would have 
been followed through the jaws of hell. 

The Spaniards, ere five minutes had passed, 
poured en masse into the Rose's waist; but 
only to their destruction. Between the poop 
and forecastle (as was then the fashion), the 
upper-deck beams were left open and un- 
planked, with the exception of a narrow 
gangway on either side; and off that fatal 
ledge the boarders, thrust on by those behind, 
fell headlong between the beams to the main- 
deck below, to be slaughtered helpless in that 
pit of destruction by the double fire from the 



68 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOR 

bulkheads fore and aft; while the few who 
kept their footing on the gangway, after vain 
attempts to force the stockades on poop and 
forecastle, leaped overboard again amid a 
shower of shot and arrows. The fire of the 
English was as steady as it was quick; and 
though three-fourths of the crew had never 
smelt powder before, they proved well the 
truth of the old chronicler's saying (since 
proved again more gloriously than ever, at 
Alma, Balaklava, and Inkerman), that "the 
English never fight better than in their first 
battle." 

Thrice the Spaniards clambered on board; 
and thrice surged back before that deadly 
hail. The decks on both sides were very 
shambles; and Jack Brimblecombe, who had 
fought as long as his conscience would allow 
him, found, when he turned to a more cleri- 
cal occupation, enough to do in carrying poor 
wretches to the surgeon, without giving that 
spiritual consolation which he longed to give, 
and they to receive. At last there was a lull 
in that wild storm. No shot was heard from 
the Spaniard's upper deck. 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 69 

Amyas leaped into the mizzen rigging, and 
looked through the smoke. Dead men he 
could descry through the blinding veil, rolled 
in heaps, laid flat; dead men and dying; but 
no man upon his feet. The last volley had 
swept the deck clear; one by one had dropped 
below to escape that fiery shower; and alone 
at the helm, grinding his teeth with rage, his 
mustachios curling up to his very eves, stood 
the Spanish captain. 

Now was the moment for a counter-stroke. 
Amyas shouted for the boarders, and in two 
minutes more he was over the side, and clutch- 
ing at the Spaniard's mizzen rigging. 

What was this? The distance between him 
and the enemy's side was widening. Was she 
sheering off. Yes — and rising too, growing 
bodily higher every moment, as if by magic. 
Amyas looked up in astonishment, and saw 
what it was. The Spaniard was heeling fast 
over to leeward away from him. Her masts 
all sloping forward, swifter and swifter — the 
end was come, then! 

"Back! in God's name back, men! She is 
sinking by the head!" And with much ado 



yo THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

some were dragged back, some leaped back — 
all but old Michael Heard. 

With hair and beard floating in the wind, 
the bronzed naked figure, like some weird old 
Indian fakir, still climbed on steadfastly up 
the mizzen chains of the Spaniard, hatchet in 
hand. 

"Come back, Michael! Leap while you 
may!" shouted a dozen voices. Michael 
turned — 

"And what should I come back for, then, 
to go home where no one knoweth me? I'll 
die like an Englishman this day, or I'll know 
the reason why!" and turning, he sprang in 
over the bulwarks, as the huge ship rolled up 
more and more, like a dying whale, exposing 
all her long black bulk almost down to the 
keel, and one of her lower-deck guns, 
as if in defiance, exploded upright into 
the air, hurling the ball to the very 
heavens. 

In an instant it was answered from the Rose 
by a column of smoke, and the eighteen-pound 
ball crashed through the bottom of the de- 
fenceless Spaniard. 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 



/ 



"Who fired? Shame to fire on a sinking 
ship!" 

"Gunner Yeo, sir," shouted a voice up from 
the main-deck. "He's like a madman down 
here." 

"Tell him if he fires again, I'll put him in 
irons, if he were my own brother. Cut away 
the grapples aloft, men. Don't you see how 
she drags us over? Cut away, or we shall sink 
with her." 

They cut away, and the Rose, released from 
the strain, shook her feathers on the wave- 
crest like a freed seagull, while all men held 
their breaths. 

Suddenly the glorious creature righted her- 
self, and rose again, as if in noble shame, for 
one last struggle with her doom. Her bows 
were deep in the water, but her after-deck still 
dry. Righted: but only for a moment, long 
enough to let her crew come pouring wildly 
up on deck, with cries and prayers, and rush 
aft to the poop, where, under the flag of 
Spain, stood the captain, his left hand on the 
standard-stafT, his sword pointed in his 
right. 



72 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"Back, men!" they heard him cry, "and die 
like valiant mariners." 

Some of them ran to the bulwarks and 
shouted "Mercy! We surrender!" and the 
English broke into a cheer, and called to them 
to run her alongside. 

"Silence!" shouted Amyas. "I take no sur- 
render from mutineers. Senor," cried he to 
the captain, springing into the rigging and 
taking off his hat, "for the love of God and 
these men, strike! and surrender a buena 
querra." 

The Spaniard lifted his hat and bowed 
courteously, and answered, "Impossible, 
Senor. No querra is good which stains my 
honour." 

"God have mercy on you, then!" 

"Amen!" said the Spaniard, crossing him- 
self. 

She gave one awful lunge forward, and 
dived under the coming swell, hurling her 
crew into the eddies. Nothing but the point 
of her poop remained, and there stood the 
stern and steadfast Don, cap-a-pie in his glis- 
tening black armour, immovable as a man of 



SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 73 

iron, while over him the flag, which claimed 
the empire of both worlds, flaunted its gold 
aloft and upwards in the glare of the tropic 
noon. 

"He shall not carry that flag to the devil 
with him; I will have it yet, if I die for it!" 
said Will Cary, and rushed to the side to leap 
overboard, but Amyas stopped him. 

"Let him die as he has lived, with 
honour." 

A wild figure sprang out of the mass of 
sailors who struggled and shrieked amid the 
foam, and rushed upward at the Spaniard. It 
was Michael Heard. The Don, who stood 
above him, plunged his sword into the old 
man's body; but the hatchet gleamed, never- 
theless; down went the blade through head- 
piece and head; and as Heard sprang onward, 
bleeding, but alive, the steel-clad corpse rat- 
tled down the deck into the surge. Two more 
strokes, struck with fury of a dying man, and 
the standard-staff was hewn through. Old 
Michael collected all his strength, hurled the 
flag far from the sinking ship, and then stood 
erect one moment, and shouted, "God save 



74 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Queen Bess!" and the English answered with 
a "Hurrah!" which rent the welkin. 

Another moment, and the gulf had swal- 
lowed his victim, and the poop, and him; and 
nothing remained of the Madre Dolorosa but 
a few floating spars and struggling wretches, 
while a great awe fell upon all men, and a 
solemn silence, broken only by the cry: 

"Of some strong swimmer in his agony." 

And then, suddenly collecting themselves, as 
men awakened from a dream, half-a-dozen 
desperate gallants, reckless of sharks and ed- 
dies, leaped overboard, swam towards the 
flag, and towed it alongside in triumph. 



CAPTURING A MALAYAN PIRATE 

CAPTAIN Ames, of the American gunboat 
Annapolis, had orders to capture a notorious 
Malay pirate who had been preying upon 
many of the small vessels which were in the 
carrying trade, and running out of Manila 
Bay- 
There was good reason to believe that the 
object of their search was hiding among the 
many islands off the south-eastern coast of 
Luzon, and at length, through one of the na- 
tives, the captain received information as to 
the place where the pirate was concealed. 

The water was too shallow for the gunboat: 
in the channel through which it was neces- 
sary to go in order to make the capture, so 
when it was dark three boats were lowered 
and manned. 

75 



76 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The first boat was commanded by Lieuten- 
ant Granger, and the other two were in charge 
of Ensigns Archer and James. With muffled 
oars they pulled noiselessly along until they 
reached the entrance to the channel, up which 
they pulled until they reached a sort of shel- 
tered bay. Here the lieutenant decided to go 
ashore, and spy out the land. Taking three 
men with him, he led the way into the dark- 
ness. 

In about an hour the four returned, having 
located the pirate's hiding place. 

Telling the men to see that their cutlasses 
and revolvers were ready for instant use, and 
impressing upon all the need for silence, the 
lieutenant's boat led the way out of the little 
bay, and they continued their journey up the 
channel. 

Moving along quietly, they came to a high, 
rocky point. Here the lieutenant signalled 
the boats to stop, for the pirate proa was lay- 
ing, snugly hidden in a cove, just round the 
point. He gave his orders; the three boats 
were to continue in their present order; the 
men in the first were to board the vessel at the 



CAPTURING A PIRATE 77 

bow, the second amidship, and the third at the 
stern. He thought it probable that no watch 
would be kept, as the robbers undoubtedly 
considered themselves to be quite safely hid- 
den, so the chances were that the surprise 
would be complete. 

As the lieutenant had surmised, no vigil was 
kept on the proa. Noiselessly the three boats 
reached their appointed stations, and, at a 
given signal, all three crews proceeded to 
board the ship. 

Most of the pirates were asleep, but the 
slight noise the sailors made in boarding at- 
tracted the attention of those who were not, 
and these at once awoke their mates. But 
they were too late to make any determined 
stand against the sudden rush of the jackies. 
They were brave enough, but the odds were 
against them. The struggle was short, and 
after one was killed and several wounded, 
they were overcome and disarmed. 

The proa was taken round the point and 
into the channel. The unwounded pirates 
were bound, and then the American sailors 
(with the exception of Lieutenant Granger, 



78 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

who, with a crew of five men, remained in 
charge of the prize) returned to their boats, 
and soon all were on their way to the open sea. 

The last few hours had been full of excite- 
ment, and now that this was over, those on the 
proa, not having to row as their mates in the 
three boats had to, began to feel more keenly 
the loss of a night's sleep. They had passed 
through the channel, and were now in the 
open sea. The lieutenant was seated in a com- 
fortable deck chair, and near him was the pi- 
rate chief, seemingly securely bound. 

He must have been dozing, when suddenly 
the sound of a splash aroused him. He 
jumped up, and at once saw what had hap- 
pened. The pirate had managed to loosen his 
bonds, and had jumped overboard with the in- 
tention of swimming ashore. 

At a little distance off the lieutenant saw a 
round object moving in the water; he gave a 
loud shout to draw the attention of those in 
the boats, which were a little behind the proa, 
and in an instant had sprung into the water in 
chase of the man. 

He would not have chosen this particular 



CAPTURING A PIRATE 79 

place for a swim, because the sea here is in- 
fested with sharks. But he felt that he was 
responsible for his prisoner, and blamed him- 
self for falling asleep. The Malay was a 
strong swimmer, as are most of his race, but 
the lieutenant was more than his match, and 
soon he began to overhaul the pirate. 

The man looked around and saw that his 
pursuer was only five or six yards behind. He 
pretended to yield, and Granger darted 
towards him. Suddenly he dived, and only 
just in time, for the treacherous pirate held in 
his hand a deadly kriss, which he was about 
to plunge into the lieutenant's body. 

Coming up on the other side of him, Gran- 
ger managed to wind one arm around the Ma- 
lay's legs, and with the other he grasped the 
hand which held the knife. He exerted his 
utmost strength in endeavouring to keep the 
pirate from changing the weapon to the other 
hand, and the struggle was rapidly exhausting 
both men. 

It took only a few minutes for this to 
happen, but to the two men struggling in the 
water hours seemed to pass. With a final 



8o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

effort, the lieutenant twisted the Malay's arm 
so that the kriss fell from his hand and sank 
to the bottom of the sea. 

Consciousness was fast leaving him, when 
he felt a grasp upon his shoulder, and soon 
he was being lifted into one of the boats, 
which arrived only just in time to save the 
lives of both. 

They reached the gunboat in due course, 
and Lieutenant Granger made his report and 
turned the prisoners over to Captain Ames, 
who at once proceeded to Manila, and deliv- 
ered them into the hands of the authorities. 



THE FIRST DUTCH ATTEMPT TO 

DISCOVER THE NORTHWEST 

PASSAGE 

As there are no coal, iron or gold mines in 
Holland, the people have to depend for their 
living chiefly by trading with foreign coun- 
tries. 

In the sixteenth century, and particularly 
during the latter part, Spain made it very dif- 
ficult for the Dutch sailors to bring any car- 
goes to their home ports. The Spanish King 
gave orders to the captains of his ships to 
seize vessels of the Dutch whenever they 
might be found, and to throw the sailors over- 
board. 

The Hollanders were naturally a sea-far- 
ing people, and their ships sailed all over the 
world, bringing coffee, spices, silk, ivory, tim- 
ber, and many other things to Amsterdam, 

81 



82 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

where they were sold to the English, French, 
German and Russian merchants who came to 
buy them. 

The Dutch were very cruelly treated by 
Spain, and they began to despair; it did seem 
as though they would be ruined. The things 
in which they traded had to be brought 
from far away countries, from Egypt, Turkey, 
Greece, Italy, America and Africa, but the 
great Spanish galleons were always on the 
lookout for their ships, which they captured 
whenever possible. 

One day Jacob van Heemskerk, the son of 
a well-known merchant of Amsterdam, was 
looking at a map of the world, when it sud- 
dently struck him that there was a large 
sea above Norway where no ship had yet been, 
and through which China and America might 
be reached. If this could be done, there need 
be no fear of Spanish galleons. 

He spoke with other men, and all agreed 
that this sea must go somewhere, and that if 
the earth were round, and one sailed far 
enough, he must come out at the other side, 
and reach China or America. 



THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 83 

The result was that on the 2nd of July, 
1595, a fleet of seven small ships set sail from 
Texel, bound for the unknown northern sea. 
The commander of the expedition was a brave 
and experienced sailor named William Ba- 
rends, and with him was Jacob van Heem- 
skerk, who represented the merchants of Am- 
sterdam. 

On August 19th they reached the Straits of 
Waygatz, where they went on shore. Fortu- 
nately one of the crew could speak the lan- 
guage of the natives (the Samoyedes), who 
told him how, if they sailed far enough, they 
could get from a cold sea into a warm one, 
where they would find a new land. 

This information elated Barends and van 
Heemskerk, and they returned to the ships in 
high spirits. But soon what a disappoint- 
ment came to them! The sea became full of 
great blocks of ice, and although they tried 
to follow the direction given by the Samoye- 
des, it was found impossible to make any 
progress. 

Being close to an island, several of the sail- 
ors obtained permission to go ashore to gather 



84 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

some crystals which they saw in the crevices 
of the rocks. Suddenly one of the men gave 
a terrific yell. He had gone ahead of his 
companions, and right in front of him was a 
huge polar bear. 

Shaking with fright, he ran back to the 
others, the bear following him. They all 
rushed to the boat, and some seized the oars, 
others axes, muskets, boat-hooks, or what- 
ever would serve as weapons. After a com- 
bat lasting nearly an hour, they managed to 
kill the monster, which they skinned. 

The ice continued to gather, and to add to 
their danger it became very stormy and foggy. 
They could not go on, and so were finally 
forced to return, arriving at Amsterdam about 
the end of October, bringing with them as the 
result of their expedition, only a bear-skin and 
a few crystals. 

But van Heemskerk and Barends were not 
to be conquered by one failure; they resolved 
to make another effort. In this they met with 
little encouragement; the government refused 
to support them, and the merchants feared 
that what money they might contribute 



THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 85 

toward the enterprise would be lost. But 
Heemskerk persevered, and at last the govern- 
ment consented to give valuable privileges and 
a considerable sum of money to the owners of 
such ships as could find a way through the 
northern sea. 

Thus encouraged, several Amsterdam mer- 
chants fitted out two small ships, and gave 
Heemskerk and William Barends the joint 
command. It was a difficult matter to ob- 
tain crews, but they finally succeeded in se- 
curing a splendid lot of brave and hardy men, 
used to the sea. 

The two ships left Amsterdam May 10th, 
1596, and for three weeks nothing unusual 
happened. On the night of June 1st, Heem- 
skerk, who was asleep in his cabin, was awak- 
ened by one of the men on watch. 

"What is the matter?" asked Heem- 
skerk. 

"There is something wrong with the sun, 
sir," replied the man. "It is long past mid- 
night, and it hasn't gone down yet." 

The captain hastened to the deck, and sure 
enough, the sun was still above the horizon. 



86 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

It was six weeks from that time before they 
had an hour's darkness. 

The men began to think they were in a re- 
gion of enchantment, especially when, after 
a slight snow storm, they saw three suns and 
several gorgeous rainbows. Heemskerk had 
read about the aurora borealis, and this he 
explained to them. 

It was daily growing colder, and the sea 
was covered with ice. This the two captains 
had expected, and knew that they faced a hard 
fight. The farther north they went the more 
compact became the ice, until with the begin- 
ning of August they encountered icebergs 
which were like mountains. 

By the end of the month they were frozen 
in solidly. Whichever way they looked, noth- 
ing but ice could be seen. It seemed that the 
ships could not stand the strain, so great was 
the pressure, so the men loaded the boats with 
provisions, and put them on the firm ice. 
There was now no hope of moving, so a hut 
was built on the hard mass, and in this they 
prepared to pass the winter. . 

As there were polar bears prowling about, 



THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 87 

a constant watch had to be kept, and during 
the night a fire was maintained. Fortunately 
it was possible to reach land across the ice, and 
a considerable amount of timber was trans- 
ported to the ships by means of rude sleds. 

The days began to grow shorter and the 
nights longer, and as the amount of oil they 
had was limited, Heemskerk saw a way in 
which the bears might be of great benefit to 
them. He had the men go out in parties to 
hunt the animals, a number of which were 
killed, some of them after very exciting com- 
bats. 

He showed the men how to preserve the 
bear's grease, so that it could be used for the 
oil lamps, and the hides were useful as added 
clothing to protect them against the cold, 
which was becoming more and more intense. 

Early in November the sun disappeared al- 
together, and for nearly three months the only 
light they had was from the lamps, so the 
precaution taken to add to their stock of oil 
was a very wise one. 

Life under these conditions was very mo- 
notonous, so Heemskerk and Barends, know- 



88 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

ing how necessary it was to keep the men oc- 
cupied, were continually inventing things for 
them to do. They hunted, raced, wrestled, 
made traps, boxed, mended clothes, sawed 
wood — anything to keep them busy and out 
of mischief. 

Every morning a chapter from the Bible 
was read, and at night they took turns in tell- 
ing stories. And so the time passed, slowly 
and monotonously enough. One morning, 
after eleven weeks of darkness, they were 
overjoyed by the sight of the sun peeping 
above the horizon. They danced, sang, and 
hugged each other, and felt as though new 
life had come to them. But their troubles 
were not yet over, for another three months 
passed before the sun became warm enough 
to melt the ice sufficiently for the ship to 
move. (They now had only one ship, the 
other having been used, piece by piece, for 
firewood.) 

Gradually they prepared for the return 
journey. The boats were dug out of the ice, 
and a way had to be cut from the ship to clear 
water. By the middle of June, after a great 



THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 89 

deal of hard labor, they set sail for home. 

On the 29th of October they reached Am- 
sterdam, where almost the entire population 
turned out to welcome those who had been 
thought to have perished in the frozen North. 

The fame of these brave men spread 
throughout the whole of Europe, for all were 
astonished that so small a company should 
have travelled where no human being had 
been before, and have lived through such 
hardships as these men had endured. 

Jacob van Heemskerk afterwards served his 
country on the water, and became one of the 
most famous sea-captains of the Dutch re- 
public. 



THE BURNING OF THE PHILA- 
DELPHIA 

The frigate Philadelphia, one of the finest 
ships in the navy of the United States, lay un- 
der the guns of the castle in the harbor of 
Tripoli, the stronghold of the Barbary pi- 
rates. Captain Bainbridge was in command 
when she unfortunately ran upon a reef just 
outside the entrance to the harbor. 

The Philadelphia was on blockade duty 
outside the harbor when so furious a gale 
sprung up that the gallant ship was driven 
before it, and some days elapsed before she 
could return to her post. 

It was the morning of October 31st, 1803, 
when the Philadelphia was again at her sta- 
tion. A vessel was sighted, stealing into port, 
and immediately Bainbridge gave chase. The 

corsairs were familiar with these waters, and 

90 



BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 91 

stood close into the shore, which was studded 
with reefs. The pirates led the way to shoal 
water, not heeding the shots which soon came 
from the frigate's guns. 

The lead showed eight fathoms, then seven, 
then six and a half was reported. It was too 
dangerous to continue, and the helm was 
thrown hard over, but too late. With a ter- 
rific shock, the frigate struck a rock. She 
was fast on the reef, and efforts to get her off 
were useless. 

To lighten the ship most of the guns were 
thrown overboard, but to no purpose. She 
was now practically helpless. Her plight was 
clearly seen from the shore, from which 
came an overwhelming flotilla of small pi- 
rate ships, which opened fire at the wrecked 
frigate. 

With the few guns which were left the 
Americans replied, but owing to the position 
of the ship, which keeled over with the ebbing 
tide, it was merely a waste of powder and 
shot. They were helpless, and recognizing 
this Captain Bainbridge ordered the ship to be 
scuttled, and the magazine flooded. But even 



92 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the efforts to sink her were futile, so fast was 
she on the reef. 

The Tripolitans nad a wholesome awe of 
American prowess, and it was not until dark- 
ness had fallen that the pirate boarded the 
frigate, whose officers and crew were forced 
to surrender. For more than a year and a 
half they were kept in prison by the Bashaw of 
Tripoli. 

Within a few days the Philadelphia was 
repaired, hauled off the reef, and taken into 
the harbor. The guns which had been thrown 
overboard were recovered. 

The American fleet, under Commodore 
Preble, was at Syracuse. News of the cap- 
ture of the Philadelphia was the signal for the 
laying of plans to either recapture or destroy 
the ship, and thus deprive the corsairs of so 
valuable an addition to their navy. 

Among the officers under Preble was 
Stephen Decatur, the youthful captain of the 
Enterprise, a schooner mounting twelve guns. 
His father had been the first commander of 
the Philadelphia, and he eagerly sought the 



BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 93 

honor of being in charge of the expedition to 
destroy the frigate (for the commander had 
decided upon this rather than to attempt its 
cutting-out). 

Decatur at this time was not yet twenty- five 
years of age, but he came of a fighting fam- 
ily, and his rise in the navy of the United 
States had been rapid. The anticipated expe- 
dition appealed to his adventurous spirit, and 
he was the first officer to ask the Commodore 
for permission to make the attempt. 

At his request Preble smiled grimly, but 
he was evidently impressed by Decatur's en- 
thusiasm, and promised that as he had been 
the first to speak, he should have the first 
consideration for the command. 

Early in December Decatur captured a 
Tripolitan ketch, and thinking it would be 
of great service in the contemplated expedi- 
tion to destroy the Philadelphia, he put a 
prize crew aboard, and sent it back to the 
fleet's base at Syracuse. The ketch was of a 
build and rig common to these parts, and it 
seemed to him that such a vessel could enter 
the harbor without attracting undue attention. 



94 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Before attempting the destruction of the 
frigate, Commodore Preble determined upon 
making a demonstration in force. He there- 
fore ordered the fleet to proceed to Tripoli, 
and bombarded the town as a token of 
what would follow later. They had no ships 
small enough to navigate the rocky channel 
leading to the harbor, and were too far off 
to do much damage, but the Bashaw saw 
enough of the American fleet to know it would 
not be many months before a decisive attack 
upon his stronghold would be made. 

Captain Bainbridge and the other prison- 
ers heard the firing of the guns with joy. 
They knew that it was only a demonstration, 
but it brought hope for the future to them. 
They were imprisoned in the castle which 
overlooked the harbor, and every day they 
saw at anchor, flying the hated flag of Tripoli, 
their old ship Pliiladelphia, and under the 
circumstances it was anything but a pleasant 
sight to them. 

After the bombardment the fleet returned 
to Syracuse, and there Decatur's plan for go- 
ing boldly into the harbor with the ketch and 



BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 95 

blowing up the Philadelphia was debated. 
The commodore gave his approval, and pre- 
parations for the hazardous undertaking were 
made. 

It was decided that the expedition should 
start early in February, and there was much 
excitement among the officers and men of the 
fleet as to who should have the honor of being 
selected. On February 9th, 1804, a picked 
crew of sixty-two men and thirteen officers 
were put aboard the ketch, which was dis- 
guised as a fruit-carrying Maltese vessel, and 
accompanied by the brig Siren, under the 
command of Lieutenant Stewart (which was 
to lie off the harbor in case the fugitives 
should have to make their escape in boats), 
the two ships set sail for Tripoli. 

They were blown about by a furious gale, 
and it was not until the 16th of the month that 
the waves calmed sufficiently for the ketch to 
enter the harbor. Seven volunteers were 
transferred from the Siren to the ketch, and 
when darkness had fallen, after examining the 
combustibles to see that they were in perfect 
order, and giving implicit directions to of- 



96 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

ficers and men, Decatur gave the order to en- 
ter the harbor. 

With the exception of six men, who were 
disguised as Moors, all on board the ketch 
were hidden behind the bulwarks, or down be- 
low. As they drew near the Philadelphia, the 
crew were seen to be on the alert, and 
through all the port-holes lights were visible. 
Soon they were hailed by a sentinel, who was 
told that the ketch had lost her anchors, and 
they wished to make fast to the Philadelphia 
until they could procure more. 

The ketch purposely had run afoul of the 
frigate's bowsprit, and while the sentinel's at- 
tention was being engaged by the supposed pi- 
lot, some of the sailors, in charge of Midship- 
man Lawrence, lowered a boat, and quietly 
fastened a hawser to a ring-bolt on the Phila- 
delphia's bow. 

The pilot then asked for another cable 
from the frigate, saying that their best ones 
had been lost with the anchors, and they 
wished to make the ketch secure in case the 
wind should rise during the night. This was 
given them, and made secure. 



BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 97 

Unfortunately, just at this time the ketch 
turned broadside on, and by the light of the 
moon some of the Tripolitans saw the men 
lying under the bulwarks, and also the an- 
chors and cables on the deck. The alarm 
was given, and the ropes were ordered to be 
cut. 

Quick action was now necessary. Decatur 
called for boarders, and soon the American 
sailors were clambering over the frigate's rail 
and through the open port-holes. 

The surprise was complete, and in less than 
a quarter of an hour those of the Tripolitans 
who were not killed or wounded were driven 
overboard. 

Rapidly powder and combustibles were 
transferred from the ketch to the frigate, and 
distributed throughout the ship from hold to 
upper deck. The men had previously been 
divided into gangs, and definite orders given 
them, so that the work was quickly done. 
Decatur gave the order to fire the ship, and 
soon tongues of flame were darting here and 
there. So expeditiously was this carried out, 
that the men had scarcely time to reach the 



9 8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

ketch before being cut off by the fire which 
had already caught the rigging. The last man 
to leave the flaming ship was Decatur, who 
waited to see that the work of destruction was 
complete. 

But they were in great danger, for the 
ketch was still held by the line at the stern, 
where some ammunition was stored. Just in 
time this line was severed; a moment longer, 
and the ketch itself would have been blown up. 

And now the batteries on shore were work- 
ing, shots from the guns falling into the water 
all around them, but fortunately hitting none 
of them. The Americans gave three rousing 
cheers as they left the burning ship. 

It was a grand spectacle. The flames lit 
up the whole harbor, and the cannons from 
the forts were answered by those of the fri- 
gate, which were discharged through the in^ 
tense heat. The magazine was reached by the 
fire, and with a tremendous roar the stately 
Philadelphia burst into thousands of frag- 
ments. 

Thus was a bold and daring expedition suc- 
cessfully carried out. Not an American sailor 



BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 99 

was lost, and only one was wounded, and that 
by a slight cut behind the ear. From the 
boarding of the frigate to the firing of the ship 
only twenty-five minutes elapsed. As a re- 
ward for the carrying out of the enterprise, 
Congress voted Decatur a sword, and to each 
of the men was given two months' extra pay. 



A DESCENT INTO THE MAEL- 
STROM 

We had now reached the summit of the 
loftiest crag. For some minutes the old man 
seemed too much exhausted to speak. 

''Not long ago," said he at length, "and I 
could have guided you on this route as well 
as the youngest of my sons; but, about three 
years past, there happened to me an event 
such as never happened before to mortal 
man, — or at least such as no man ever survived 
to tell of, — and the six hours of deadly terror 
which I then endured have broken me-up body 
and soul. You suppose me a very old man, 
but I am not. It took less than a single day 
to change these hairs from a jetty black to 
white, to weaken my limbs, and to unstring 
my nerves, so that I tremble at the least exer- 
tion, and am frightened at a shadow. Do you 

IOO 



THE MAELSTROM 101 

know I can scarcely look over this little cliff 
without getting giddy?" 

The "little cliff," upon whose edge he had 
so carelessly thrown himself down to rest that 
the weightier portion of his body hung over it, 
while he was only kept from falling by the 
tenure of his elbow on its extreme and slippery 
edge, — this "little cliff" arose, a sheer unob- 
structed precipice of black shining rock, some 
fifteen or sixteen hundred feet from the world 
of crags beneath us. Nothing would have 
tempted me to within half a dozen yards of its 
brink. In truth, so deeply was I excited by 
the perilous position of my companion, that 
I fell at full length upon the ground, clung to 
the shrubs around me, and dared not even 
glance upward at the sky, while I struggled 
in vain to divest myself of the idea that the 
very foundations of the mountain were in dan- 
ger from the fury of the winds. It was long 
before I could reason myself into sufficient 
courage to sit up and look out into the dis- 
tance. 

"You must get over these fancies," said the 
guide, "for I have brought you here that you 



102 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

might have the best possible view of the scene 
of that event I mentioned, and to tell you the 
whole story with the spot just under your 
eye." 

"We are now," he continued, in that par- 
ticularizing manner which distinguished him, 
— "we are now close upon the Norwegian 
coast, in the sixty-eighth degree of latitude, in 
the great province of Nordland, and in the 
dreary district of Lofoden. The mountain 
upon whose top we sit is Helseggen the 
Cloudy. Now raise yourself up a little 
higher — hold on to the grass if you feel giddy 
— so — and look out, beyond the belt of vapor 
beneath us, into the sea." 

I looked dizzily, and beheld a wide expanse 
of ocean, whose waters wore so inky a hue as 
to bring at once to my mind the Nubian geog- 
rapher's account of the Mare Tenebrarum. 
A panorama more deplorably desolate no 
human imagination can conceive. To the 
right and left, as far as the eye could reach, 
there lay outstretched, like ramparts of the 
world, lines of horridly black and beetling 
cliff, whose character of gloom was but the 



THE MAELSTROM 103 

more forcibly illustrated by the surf which 
reared high up against its white and ghastly 
crest, howling and shrieking forever. Just 
opposite the promontory upon whose apex we 
were placed, and at a distance of some five or 
six miles out at sea, there was visible a small 
bleak-looking island; or, more properly, its 
position was discernible through the wilder- 
ness of surge in which it was enveloped. 
About two miles nearer the land arose an- 
other, of smaller size, hideously craggy and 
barren, and encompassed at various intervals 
by a cluster of dark rocks. 

The appearance of the ocean, in the space 
between the more distant island and the shore, 
had something very unusual about it. Al- 
though, at the time, so strong a gale was blow- 
ing landward that a brig in the remote offing 
lay to under a double-reefed trysail, and con- 
stantly plunged her whole hull out of sight, 
still there was here nothing like a regular 
swell, but only a short, quick, angry cross dash- 
ing of water in every direction, — as well in the 
teeth of the wind as otherwise. Of foam there 
was little except in the vicinity of the rocks. 



io 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

„ "The island in the distance," resumed the 
old man, "is called by the Norwegians 
Vurrgh. The one midway is Moskoe. That 
a mile to the northward is Ambaaren. Yonder 
are Iflesen, Hoeyholm, Keildholm, Suarven, 
and Buckholm. Farther off — between Mos- 
koe and Vurrgh — are Otterholm, Flimen, 
Sandflesen, and Skarholm. These are the true 
names of the places; but why it has been 
thought necessary to name them at all is more 
than either you or I can understand. Do you 
hear anything? Do you see any change in the 
water?" 

We had now been about ten minutes upon 
the top of Helseggen, to which we had as- 
cended from the interior of Lofoden, so that 
we had caught no glimpse of the sea until it 
had burst upon us from the summit. As the 
old man spoke, I became aware of a loud and 
gradually increasing sound, like the moaning 
of a vast herd of buffaloes upon an American 
prairie; and at the same moment I perceived 
that what seamen term the chopping charac- 
ter of the ocean beneath us was rapidly chang-' 
ing into a current which set to the eastward. 



THE MAELSTROM 105 

Even while I gazed, this current acquired a 
monstrous velocity. Each moment added to 
its speed, — to its headlong impetuosity. In 
five minutes the whole sea, as far as Vurrgh, 
was lashed into ungovernable fury; but it was 
between Moskoe and the coast that the main 
uproar held its swa3 7 . 

Here the vast bed of the waters, seamed and 
scarred into a thousand conflicting channels, 
burst suddenly into frenzied convulsion, — 
heaving, boiling, hissing, — gyrating in gigan- 
tic and innumerable vortices, and all whirling 
and plunging on to the eastward with a rapid- 
ity which water never elsewhere assumes, ex- 
cept in precipitous descents. 

In a few minutes more, there came over the 
scene another radical alteration. The general 
surface grew somewhat more smooth, and the 
whirlpools, one by one, disappeared, while 
prodigious streaks of foam became apparent 
where none had been seen before. These 
streaks at length, spreading out to a great dis- 
tance and entering into combination, took unto 
themselves the gyratory motion of the subsided 
vortices, and seemed to form the germ of an- 



106 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

other more vast. Suddenly — very suddenly — 
this assumed a distinct and definite existence, 
in a circle of more than a mile in diameter. 
The edge of the whirl was represented by a 
broad belt of gleaming spray; but no particle 
of this slipped into the mouth of the terrific 
funnel, whose interior, as far as the eye could 
fathom it, was a smooth, shining, and jet- 
black wall of water, inclined to the horizon at 
an angle of some forty-five degrees, speeding 
dizzily round and round with a swaying and 
sweltering motion, and sending forth to the 
winds an appalling voice, half shriek, half 
roar, such as not even the mighty cataract of 
Niagara ever lifts up in its agony to Heaven. 

The mountain trembled to its very base, and 
the rock rocked. I threw myself upon my 
face, and clung to the scant herbage in an ex- 
cess of nervous agitation. 

"This," said I at length to the old man, — 
"this can be nothing else than the great whirl- 
pool of the Maelstrom." 

"So it is sometimes termed," said he. "We 
Norwegians call it the Moskoe-strom, from 
the island of Moskoe in the midway." 



THE MAELSTROM 107 

The ordinary accounts of this vortex had by 
no means prepared me for what I saw. That 
of Jonas Ramus, which is perhaps the most 
circumstantial of any, cannot impart the faint- 
est conception either of the magnificence or of 
the horror of the scene, — or of the wild, be- 
wildering sense of the novel, which confounds 
the beholder. I am not sure from what point 
of view the writer in question surveyed it, nor 
at what time; but it could neither have been 
from the summit of Helseggen, nor during a 
storm. There are some passages of his de- 
scription, nevertheless, which may be quoted 
for their details, although their effect is ex- 
ceedingly feeble in conveying an impression 
of the spectacle. 

"Between Lofoden and Moskoe," he says, 
"the depth of the water is between thirty-six 
and forty fathoms; but on the other side, to- 
ward Ver (Vurrgh), this depth decreases so 
as not to afford a convenient passage for a ves- 
sel without the risk of splitting on the rocks, 
which happens even in the calmest weather. 
When it is flood, the stream runs up the coun- 
try between Lofoden and Moskoe with a bois- 



108 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

terous rapidity; but the roar of its impetuous 
ebb to the sea is scarce equaled by the loudest 
and most dreadful cataracts, the noise being 
heard several leagues off; and the vortices or 
pits are of such an extent and depth that, if a 
ship comes within its attraction, it is inevitably 
absorbed and carried down to the bottom, and 
there beat to pieces against the rocks; and 
when the water relaxes, the fragments thereof 
are thrown up again. But these intervals of 
tranquility are only at the turn of the ebb and 
flood, and in calm weather, and last but a quar- 
ter of an hour, its violence gradually return- 
ing. When the stream is most boisterous, and 
its fury heightened by a storm, it is dangerous 
to come within a Norway mile of it. Boats, 
yachts, and ships have been carried away by 
not guarding against it before they were 
within its reach. It likewise happens fre- 
quently that whales come too near the stream, 
and are overpowered by its violence ; and then, 
it is impossible to describe their howlings and 
bellowings in their fruitless struggles to disen- 
gage themselves. A bear once, attempting to 
swim from Lofoden to Moskoe, was caught 



THE MAELSTROM 109 

by the stream and borne down, while he roared 
terribly, so as to be heard on shore. Large 
stocks of firs and pine-trees, after being ab- 
sorbed by the current, rise again broken and 
torn to such a degree as if bristles grew upon 
them. This plainly shows the bottom to con- 
sist of craggy rocks, among which they are 
whirled to and fro. This stream is regulated 
by the flux and reflux of the sea, it being con- 
stantly high and low water every six hours. 
In the year 1645, early in the morning of Sexa- 
gesittia Sunday, it raged with such noise and 
impetuosity that the very stones of the houses 
on the coast fell to the ground." 

In regard to the depth of the water, I could 
not see how this could have been ascertained 
at all in the immediate vicinity of the vortex. 
The "forty fathoms" must have reference only 
to portions of the channel close upon the shore 
either of Moskoe or Lofoden. The depth in 
the centre of the Moskoe-strom must be im- 
measurably greater; and no better proof of 
this fact is necessary than can be obtained from 
even the sidelong glance into the abyss of the 
whirl which may be had from the highest 



no THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

crag of Helseggen. Looking down from this 
pinnacle upon the howling Phlegethon below, 
I could not help smiling at the simplicity with 
which the honest Jonas Ramus records, as a 
matter difficult of belief, the anecdotes of the 
whales and the bears ; for it appeared to me, in 
fact, a self-evident thing that the largest ships 
of the line in existence, coming within the in- 
fluence of that deadly attraction, could resist 
it as little as a feather the hurricane, and must 
disappear bodily and at once. 

The attempts to account for the phenome- 
non — some of which, I remember, seemed to 
me sufficiently plausible in perusal — now wore 
a very different and unsatisfactory aspect. 
The idea generally received is that this, as well 
as three smaller vortices among the Faroe is- 
lands, "have no other cause than the collision 
of waves rising and falling, at flux and re- 
flux, against a ridge of rocks and shelves, 
which confines the water so that it precipitates 
itself like a cataract; and thus the higher the 
flood rises, the deeper must the fall be, and the 
natural result of all is a whirlpool or vortex, 
the prodigious suction of which is sufficiently 



THE xMAELSTROM in 

known by lesser experiments." These are the 
words of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica." 
Kircher and others imagine that in the centre 
of the channel of the Maelstrom is an abyss 
penetrating the globe, and issuing in some very 
remote part, — the Gulf of Bothnia being some- 
what decidedly named in one instance. This 
opinion, idle in itself, was the one to which, as 
I gazed, my imagination most readily as- 
sented; and, mentioning it to the guide, I was 
rather surprised to hear him say that although 
it was the view almost universally entertained 
of the subject by the Norwegians, it neverthe- 
less was not his own. As to the former notion, 
he confessed his inability to comprehend it; 
and here I agreed with him — for, however 
conclusive on paper, it becomes altogether un- 
intelligible, and even absurd, amid the thun- 
der of the abyss. 

"You have had a good look at the whirl 
now," said the old man, "and if you will creep 
round this crag, so as to get in its lee, and 
deaden the roar of the water, I will tell you 
a story that will convince you I ought to know 
something of the Moskoe-strom." 



ii2 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

I placed myself as desired, and he pro- 
ceeded. 

"Myself and my two brothers once owned a 
schooner-rigged smack of about seventy tons' 
burden, with which we were in the habit of 
fishing among the islands beyond Moskoe, 
nearly to Vurrgh. In all violent eddies at sea 
there is good fishing, at proper opportunities, 
if one has only the courage to attempt it; but 
among the whole of the Lofoden coastmen we 
three were the only ones who made a regular 
business of going out to the islands, as I tell 
you. The usual grounds are a great way lower 
down to the southward. There fish can be got 
at all hours, without much risk, and therefore 
these places are preferred. The choice spots 
over here among the rocks, however, not only 
yield the finest variety, but in far greater 
abundance ; so that we often got in a single day 
what the more timid of the craft could not 
scrape together in a week. In fact, we made 
it a matter of desperate speculation — the risk 
of life standing instead of labor, and courage 
answering for capital. 

"We kept the smack in a cove about five 



THE MAELSTROM 113 

miles higher up the coast than this; and it was 
our practice in fine weather to take advantage 
of the fifteen minutes' slack to push across the 
main channel of the Moskoe-strom, far above 
the pool, and then drop down upon anchorage 
somewhere near Otterholm or Sandflesen, 
where the eddies are not so violent as else- 
where. Here we used to remain until nearly 
time for slack water again, when we weighed 
and made for home. We never set out upon 
this expedition without a steady side wind for 
going and coming, — one that we felt sure 
would not fail us before our return, — and we 
seldom made a miscalculation upon this point. 
Twice during six years we were forced to stay 
all night at anchor on account of a dead calm, 
which is a rare thing indeed just about here; 
and once we had to remain on the grounds 
nearly a week, starving to death, owing to a 
gale which blew up shortly after our arrival, 
and made the channel too boisterous to be 
thought of. Upon this occasion we should 
have been driven out to sea in spite of every- 
thing (for the whirlpools threw us round and 
round so violently that at length we fouled our 



ii 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

anchor and dragged it) if it had not been that 
we drifted into one of the innumerable cross- 
currents — that are here to-day and gone to- 
morrow — which drove us under the lee of 
Flimen, where, by good luck, we brought 
up. 

"I could not tell you the twentieth part of 
the difficulties we encountered 'on the ground,' 
— it is a bad spot to be in, even in good 
weather, — but we made shift always to run the 
gauntlet of the Moskoe-strom itself without 
accident, although at times my heart has been 
in my mouth when we happened to be a min- 
ute or so behind or before the slack. The wind 
sometimes was not as strong as we thought it 
at starting, and then we made rather less way 
than we could wish, while the current ren- 
dered the smack unmanageable. My eldest 
brother had a son eighteen years old, and I 
had two stout boys of my own. These would 
have been of great assistance at such times in 
using the sweeps, as well as afterward in fish- 
ing; but, somehow, although we ran the risk 
ourselves, we had not the heart to let the young 
ones get into the danger, for after all is said 



THE MAELSTROM 115 

and done, it was a horrible danger, and that is 
the truth. 

"It is now within a few days of three years 
since what I am going to tell you occurred. It 
was on the tenth of July, 18 — , a day which 
the people of this part of the world will never 
forget, for it was one in which blew the most 
terrible hurricane that ever came out of the 
heavens. And yet all the morning, and in- 
deed until late in the afternoon, there was a 
gentle and steady breeze from the southwest, 
while the sun shone brightly, so that the old- 
est seaman among us could not have foreseen 
what was to follow. 

"The three of us — my two brothers and my- 
self — had crossed over to the islands about two 
o'clock, P. M., and soon nearly loaded the 
smack with fine fish, which, we all remarked, 
were more plenty that day than we had ever 
known them. It was just seven by my watch 
when we weighed and started for home, so as 
to make the worst of the Strom at slack water, 
which we knew would be at eight. 

"We set out with a fresh wind on our star- 
board quarter, and for some time spanked 



n6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

along at a great rate, never dreaming of dan- 
ger, for indeed we saw not the slightest rea- 
son to apprehend it. All at once we were 
taken aback by a breeze from over Helseggen. 
This was most unusual, — something that had 
never happened to us before, — and I began to 
feel a little uneasy, without exactly knowing 
why. We put the boat on the wind, but could 
make no headway at all for the eddies, and I 
was upon the point of proposing to return to 
the anchorage, when, looking astern, we saw 
the whole horizon covered with a singular cop- 
per-colored cloud that rose with the most 
amazing velocity. 

"In the meantime, the breeze that had 
headed us off fell away, and we were dead be- 
calmed, drifting about in every direction. 
This state of things, however, did not last long 
enough to give us time to think about it. In 
less than a minute the storm was upon us; in 
less than two the sky was entirely overcast; 
and what with this and the driving spray, it 
became suddenly so dark that we could not see 
each other in the smack. 

"Such a hurricane as then blew it is folly 



THE MAELSTROM 117 

to attempt describing. The oldest seaman in 
Norway never experienced anything like it. 
We had cleverly let our sails go by the run be- 
fore it took us; but, at the first puff, both our 
masts went by the board as if they had been 
sawed off, — the mainmast taking with it my 
youngest brother, who had lashed himself to 
it for safety. 

"Our boat was the lightest feather of a thing 
that ever sat upon water. It had a complete 
flush deck, with only a small hatch near the 
bow, and this hatch it had always been our cus- 
tom to batten down when about to cross the 
Strom, by way of precaution against the chop- 
ping seas. But for this circumstance we 
should have foundered at once, for we lay en- 
tirely buried for some moments. How my 
elder brother escaped destruction I cannot say, 
for I never had an opportunity of ascertaining. 
For my part, as soon as I had let the foresail 
run, I threw myself flat on deck, with my feet 
against the narrow gunwale of the bow, and 
with my hands grasping a ring-bolt near the 
foot of the foremast. It was mere instinct 
that prompted me to do this, — which was un- 



u8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

doubtedly the very best thing I could have 
done, — for I was too much flurried to think. 

"For some moments we were completely 
deluged, as I say, and all this time I held my 
breath and clung to the bolt. When I could 
stand it no longer I raised myself upon my 
knees, still keeping hold with my hands, and 
thus got my head clear. Presently our little 
boat gave herself a shake, just as a dog does 
in coming out of the water, and thus rid her- 
self, in some measure, of the seas. I was now 
trying to get the better of the stupor that had 
come over me, and to collect my senses so as 
to see what was to be done, when I felt some- 
body grasp my arm. It was my elder brother, 
and my heart leaped for joy, for I had made 
sure that he was overboard; but the next mo- 
ment all this joy was turned into horror, for 
he put his mouth close to my ear and screamed 
out the word 'Moskoe-strom/' 

"No one ever will know what my feelings 
were at that moment. I shook from head to 
foot, as if I had had the most violent fit of 
the ague. I knew what he meant by that one 
word well enough, — I knew what he wished 



THE MAELSTROM 119 

to make me understand. With the wind that 
now drove us on, we were bound for the whirl 
of the Strom, and nothing could save us! 

"You perceive that, in crossing the Strom 
channel, we always went a long way up above 
the whirl, even in the calmest weather, and 
then had to wait and watch carefully for the 
slack; but now we were driving right upon 
the pool itself, and in such a hurricane as this! 
'To be sure,' I thought, Sve shall get there just 
about the slack, — there is some little hope in 
that,' — but in the next moment I cursed my- 
self for being so great a fool as to dream of 
hope at all. I knew well that we were doomed, 
had we been ten times a ninety-gun ship. 

"By this time the first fury of the tempest 
had spent itself, or perhaps we did not feel it 
so much as we scudded before it; but at all 
events the seas, which at first had been kept 
down by the wind and lay flat and frothing, 
now got up into absolute mountains. A singu- 
lar change, too, had come over the heavens. 
Around in every direction it was still as black 
as pitch, but nearly overhead there burst out, 
all at once, a circular rift of clear sky, — as 



120 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

clear as I ever saw, and of a deep, bright blue, 
— and through it there blazed forth the full 
moon with a lustre that I never before knew 
her to wear. She lit up everything about us 
with the greatest distinctness — but, oh God, 
what a scene it was to light up ! 

"I now made one or two attempts to speak 
to my brother, but, in some manner in which 
I could not understand, the din had so in- 
creased that I could not make him hear a sin- 
gle word, although I screamed at the top of 
my voice in his ear. Presently he shook his 
head, looking as pale as death, and held up one 
of his fingers, as if to say listen! 

"At first I could not make out what he 
meant, but soon a hideous thought flashed upon 
me. I dragged my watch from its fob. It was 
not going. I glanced at its face by the moon- 
light, and then burst into tears as I flung it 
far away into the ocean. It had run down at 
seven o'clock! We were behind the time of 
the slack, and the whirl of the Strom was in 
full fury! 

"When a boat is well built, properly 
trimmed, and not deep-laden, the waves in a 



THE MAELSTROM 121 

strong gale, when she is going large, seem al- 
ways to slip from beneath her, — which ap- 
pears very strange to a landsmen, — and this is 
what is called riding, in sea phrase. 

"Well, so far we had ridden the swells very 
cleverly; but presently a gigantic sea hap- 
pened to take us right under the counter, and 
bore us with it as it rose — up — up — as if into 
the sky. I would not have believed that any 
wave could rise so high. And then down we 
came with a sweep, a slide, and a plunge that 
made me feel sick and dizzy, as if I was fall- 
ing from some lofty mountain-top in a 
dream. But while we were up I had thrown 
a quick glance around, — and that one glance 
was all-sufficient. I saw our exact position in 
an instant. The Moskoe-strom whirlpool was 
about a quarter of a mile dead ahead, but no 
more like the every-day Moskoe-strom than 
the whirl as you now see it is like a mill-race. 
If I had not known where we were, and what 
we had to expect, I should not have recognized 
the place at all. As it was, I involuntarily 
closed my eyes in horror. The lids clenched 
themselves together as if in a spasm. 



122 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"It could not have been more than two min- 
utes afterward until we suddenly felt the 
waves subside, and were enveloped in foam. 
The boat made a sharp half turn to larboard, 
and then shot off in its new direction like a 
thunderbolt. At the same moment the roar- 
ing noise of the water was completely drowned 
in a kind of shrill shriek, — such a sound as you 
might imagine given out by the water-pipes 
of many thousand steam-vessels letting off 
their steam all together. We were now in the 
belt of surf which always surrounds the whirl ; 
and I thought, of course, that another moment 
would plunge us into the abyss, down which 
we could only see indistinctly on account of 
the amazing velocity with which we were 
borne along. The boat did not seem to sink 
into the water at all, but to skim like an air- 
bubble upon the surface of the surge. Her 
starboard side was next the whirl, and on the 
larboard arose the world of ocean we had 
left. It stood like a huge writhing wall be- 
tween us and the horizon. 

"It may appear strange, but now, when we 
were in the very jaws of the gulf, I felt more 



THE MAELSTROM 123 

composed than when we were only approach- 
ing it. Having made up my mind to hope no 
more, I got rid of a great deal of that terror 
which unmanned me at first. I suppose it was 
despair that strung my nerves. 

"It may look like boasting, but what I tell 
you is truth, — I began to reflect how magnifi- 
cent a thing it was to die in such a manner, 
and how foolish it was in me to think of so 
paltry a consideration as my own individual 
life, in view of so wonderful a manifestation 
of God's power. I do believe that I blushed 
with shame when this idea crossed my mind. 
After a little while I became possessed with 
the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself. I 
positively felt a wish to explore its depths, 
even at the sacrifice I was going to make; and 
my principal grief was that I should never be 
able to tell my old companions on shore about 
the mysteries I should see. These, no doubt, 
were singular fancies to occupy a man's mind 
in such extremity, and I have often thought 
since that the revolutions of the boat around 
the pool might have rendered me a little light- 
headed. 



i2 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"There was another circumstance which 
tended to restore my self-possession; and this 
was the cessation of the wind, which could not 
reach us in our present situation; for, as you 
saw yourself, the belt of surf is considerably 
lower than the general bed of the ocean, and 
this latter now towered above us, a high, black, 
mountainous ridge. If you have never been 
at sea in a heavy gale, you can form no idea 
of the confusion of mind occasioned by the 
wind and spray together. They blind, deafen, 
and strangle you, and take away all power of 
action or reflection. But we were now, in a 
great measure, rid of these annoyances, just as 
death-condemned felons in prison are allowed 
petty indulgences forbidden them while their 
doom is yet uncertain. 

"How often we made the circuit of the belt 
it is impossible to say. We careened round 
and round for perhaps an hour, flying rather 
than floating, getting gradually more and more 
into the middle of the surge, and then nearer 
and nearer to its horrible inner edge. All this 
time I had never let go of the ring-bolt. My 
brother was at the stern, holding on to a small, 



THE MAELSTROM 125 

empty water-cask which had been securely 
lashed under the coop of the counter, and was 
the only thing on deck that had not been swept 
overboard when the gale first took us. As we 
approached the brink of the pit he let go his 
hold upon this and made for the ring, from 
which, in the agony of his terror, he endeav- 
ored to force my hands, as it was not large 
enough to afford us both a secure grasp. I 
never felt deeper grief than when I saw him 
attempt this act, although I knew he was a 
madman when he did it, — a raving maniac 
through sheer fright. I did not care, however, 
to contest the point with him. I knew it could 
make no difference whether either of us held 
on at all, so I let him have the bolt, and went 
astern to the cask. This there was no great 
difficulty in doing, for the smack flew round 
steadily enough, and upon an even keel, — only 
swaying to and fro with the immense sweeps 
and swelters of the whirl. Scarcely had I se- 
cured myself in my new position when we gave 
a wild lurch to starboard, and rushed head- 
long into the abyss. I muttered a hurried 
prayer to God, and thought all was over. 



126 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"As I felt the sickening sweep of the de- 
scent, I had instinctively tightened my hold 
upon the barrel and closed my eyes. For some 
seconds I dared not open them, — while I ex- 
pected instant destruction, and I wondered 
that I was not already in my death-struggles 
with the water. But moment after moment 
elapsed. I still lived. The sense of falling 
had ceased; and the motion of the vessel 
seemed much as it had been before, while in 
the belt of foam, with the exception that she 
now lay more along. I took courage and 
looked once again upon the scene. 

"Never shall I forget the sensations of awe, 
horror, and admiration with which I gazed 
about me. The boat appeared to be hanging, 
as if by magic, midway down, upon the inte- 
rior surface of a funnel vast in circumference, 
prodigious in depth, and whose perfectly 
smooth sides might have been mistaken for 
ebony, but for the bewildering rapidity with 
which they spun around, and for the gleaming 
and ghastly radiance they shot forth, as the 
rays of the full moon, from that circular rift 
amid the clouds, which I have already de- 



THE MAELSTROM 127 

sciibed, streamed in a flood of golden glory 
along the black walls, and far away down into 
the inmost recesses of the abyss. 

"At first I was too much confused to ob- 
serve anything accurately. The general burst 
of terrific grandeur was all that I beheld. 
When I recovered myself a little, however, my 
gaze fell instinctively downward. In this di- 
rection I was able to obtain an unobstructed 
view, from the manner in which the smack 
hung on the inclined surface of the pool. She 
was quite upon an even keel, — that is to say, 
her deck lay in a plane parallel with that of 
the water; but this latter sloped at an angle of 
more than forty-five degrees, so that we 
seemed to be lying upon our beam ends. I 
could not help observing, nevertheless, that I 
had scarcely more difficulty in maintaining 
my hold and footing in this situation than if 
we had been upon a dead level; and this, I 
suppose, was owing to the speed at which we 
revolved. 

( 'The rays of the moon seemed to search the 
very bottom of the profound gulf; but still I 
could make out nothing distinctly, on account 



128 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

of a thick mist in which everything there was 
enveloped, and over which there hung a mag- 
nificent rainbow, like that narrow and totter- 
ing bridge which Mussulmans say is the only 
pathway between Time and Eternity. This 
mist or spray was no doubt occasioned by the 
clashing of the great walls of the funnel as they 
all met together at the bottom ; but the yell that 
went up to the heavens from out of that mist I 
dare not attempt to describe. 

"Our first slide into the abyss itself, from the 
belt of foam above, had carried us to a great 
distance down the slope; but our farther de- 
scent was by no means proportionate. Round 
and round we swept, — not with any uniform 
movement, but in dizzying swings and jerks 
that sent us sometimes nearly the complete cir- 
cuit of the whirl. Our progress downward, at 
each revolution, was slow but very percep- 
tible. 

"Looking about me upon the wide waste of 
liquid ebony on which we were thus borne, I 
perceived that our boat was not the only ob- 
ject in the embrace of the whirl. Both above 
and below us were visible fragments of vessels, 



THE MAELSTROM 129 

large masses of building timber and trunks of 
trees, with many smaller articles, such as 
pieces of house furniture, broken boxes, bar- 
rels, and staves. I have already described the 
unnatural curiosity which had taken the place 
of my original terrors. It appeared to grow 
upon me as I drew nearer and nearer to my 
dreadful doom. I now began to watch with a 
strange interest the numerous things that 
floated in our company. I must have been de- 
lirious; for I even sought amusement in spec- 
ulating upon the relative velocities of their 
several descents toward the foam below. 
'This fir-tree,' I found myself at one time say- 
ing, 'will certainly be the next thing that takes 
the awful plunge and disappears;' and then I 
was disappointed to find that the wreck of a 
Dutch merchant ship overtook it and went 
down before. At length, after making several 
guesses of this nature, and being deceived in 
all, this fact — the fact of my invariable mis- 
calculation — set me upon a train of reflection 
that made my limbs tremble, and my heart 
beat heavily once more. 

"It was not a new terror that thus affected 



i 3 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

me, but the dawn of a more exciting hope. 
This hope arose partly from memory, and 
partly from present observation. I called to 
mind the great variety of buoyant matter that 
strewed the coast of Lofoden, having been ab- 
sorbed and then thrown forth by the Moskoe- 
strom. By far the greater number of the ar- 
ticles were shattered in the most extraordi- 
nary way, — so chafed and roughened as to 
have the appearance of being stuck full of 
splinters, — but then I distinctly recollected 
that there were some of them which were not 
disfigured at all. Now I could not account 
for this difference except by supposing that 
the roughened fragments were the only ones 
which had been completely absorbed, — that 
the others had entered the whirl at so late a 
period of the tide, or from some reason had 
descended so slowly after entering, that they 
did not reach the bottom before the turn of 
the flood came, or of the ebb, as the case might 
be. I conceived it possible, in either instance, 
that they might be thus whirled up again to 
the level of the ocean without undergoing the 
fate of those which had been drawn in more 



THE MAELSTROM 131 

early or absorbed more rapidly. I made, 
also, three important observations. The first 
was, that, as a general rule, the larger the 
bodies were, the more rapid their descent; 
the second, that, between two masses of equal 
extent, the one spherical and the other of any 
other shape, the superiority in speed of de- 
scent was with the sphere; the third, that be- 
tween two masses of equal size, the one cylin- 
drical and the other of any other shape, the 
cylinder was absorbed the more slowly. Since 
my escape, I have had several conversations 
on this subject with an old schoolmaster of 
the district; and it was from him that I 
learned the use of the words 'cylinder' and 
'sphere.' He explained to me — although I 
have forgotten the explanation — how what I 
observed was, in fact, the natural consequence 
of the forms of the floating fragments, and 
showed me how it happened that a cylinder 
swimming in a vortex offered more resistance 
to its suction, and was drawn in with greater 
difficulty than an equally bulky body of any 
form whatever. 

"There was one startling circumstance 



132 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

which went a great way in enforcing these 
observations, and rendering me anxious to 
turn them to account, and this was that, at 
every revolution, we passed something like a 
barrel, or else the yard or the mast of a ves- 
sel; while many of these things, which had 
been on our level when I first opened my eyes 
upon the wonders of the whirlpool, were now 
high up above us, and seemed to have moved 
but little from their original station. 

"I no longer hesitated what to do. I re- 
solved to lash myself securely to the water- 
cask upon which I now held, to cut it loose 
from the counter, and to throw myself with 
it into the water. I attracted my brother's 
attention by signs, pointed to the floating bar- 
rels that came near us, and did everything in 
my power to make him understand what I was 
about to do. I thought at length that he com- 
prehended my design; but, whether this was 
the case or not, he shook his head despairingly, 
and refused to move from his station by the 
ring-bolt. It was impossible to reach him; the 
emergency admitted of no delay; and so, with 
a bitter struggle, I resigned him to his fate, 



THE MAELSTROM 133 

fastened myself to the cask by means of the 
lashings which secured it to the counter, and 
precipitated myself with it into the sea, with- 
out another moment's hesitation. 

"The result was precisely what I had hoped 
it might be. As it is myself who now tell 
you this tale, — as you see that I did escape, 
and as you are already in possession of the 
mode in which this escape was effected, and 
must therefore anticipate all that I have fur- 
ther to say, — I will bring my story quickly to 
conclusion. It might have been an hour, or 
thereabout, after my quitting the smack, 
when, having descended to a vast distance be- 
neath me, it made three or four wild gyrations 
in rapid succession, and, bearing my loved 
brother with it, plunged headlong, at once 
and forever, into the chaos of foam below. 
The barrel to which I was attached sunk very 
little farther than half the distance between 
the bottom of the gulf and the spot at which 
I leaped overboard, before a great change 
took place in the character of the whirlpool. 
The slope of the sides of the vast funnel be- 
came momentarily less and less steep. The gy- 



134 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

rations of the whirl grew gradually less and 
less violent. By degrees, the froth and the 
rainbow disappeared, and the bottom of the 
gulf seemed slowly to uprise. The sky was 
clear, the winds had gone down, and the full 
moon was setting radiantly in the west, when 
I found myself on the surface of the ocean, 
in full view of the shores of Lofoden, and 
above the spot where the pool of the Moskoe- 
strom had been. It was the hour of the slack, 
but the sea still heaved in mountainous waves 
from the effects of the hurricane. I was 
borne violently into the channel of the Strom, 
and in a few minutes was hurried down the 
coast into the 'grounds' of the fishermen. A 
boat picked me up — exhausted from fatigue 
— and (now that the danger was removed) 
speechless from the memory of its horror. 
Those who drew me on board were my old 
mates and daily companions, but they knew 
me no more than they would have known a 
traveler from the spirit-land. My hair, which 
had been raven-black the day before, was as 
white as you see it now. They say, too, that 
the whole expression of my countenance had 



THE MAELSTROM 135 

changed. I told them my story; they did not 
believe it. I now tell it to you, and I can 
scarcely expect you to put more faith in it 
than did the merry fishermen of Lofoden." 



"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 

In Trinity churchyard, New York, there is 
a monument which is of especial interest to 
all Americans, for beneath it lie the remains 
of a brave naval officer, Captain James Law- 
rence, who was mortally wounded in one of 
the most desperate sea-fights of the war of 
1812 — that between two frigates, the Chesa- 
peake, of the United States Navy, and the 
British ship, Shannon — which took place in 
Boston harbor on the 1st of June, 18 13. 

When war was declared, Captain Lawrence 
commanded the Hornet, a sloop-of-war carry- 
ing eighteen short thirty-two and two long 
twelve-pounders. With this ship he won sev- 
eral notable victories in South American wa- 
ters, and as a reward Congress voted him a 
gold medal (which he did not live to receive) , 
and promoted him to the command of the fri- 
gate Chesapeake. 

136 



"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 137 

The Chesapeake was not popular in the 
navy, having achieved the reputation of being 
unluckv, and Lawrence would not have se- 
lected her had any choice been allowed him. 
When he succeeded to the command she had a 
mixed crew, most of them foreigners, and was, 
besides, considerably undermanned. It was 
difficult at this time to secure well-trained sea- 
men, owing to the fact that so many were at- 
tracted by the greater inducements offered by 
privateersmen, and so he had much trouble in 
getting together a sufficient number of ex- 
perienced men. But at last a crew was gath- 
ered, and arrangements were made to join the 
Hornet in a raid on British ships bound for 
Canada. 

The port of Boston, where the Chesapeake 
lay, was at this time being blockaded by a 
British ship-of-the-line, and the frigate Shan- 
non. The commander of the latter, Captain 
Broke, was anxious to try his mettle against 
Lawrence, of whose reputation as a fighter he 
was well aware. Up to this time commanders 
of the British navy had paid but scant atten- 
tion to the adequate training of their gun 



138 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

crews, and this was a defect which Captain 
Broke had worked hard to remedy on board 
his ship. He had spent much energy in drill- 
ing his men, and wished to test the result of 
his endeavors against a worthy adversary. 

He therefore persuaded the captain of the 
larger ship to depart, feeling sure that Law- 
rence would not hesitate to leave port if the 
odds against him were anything like even. 
And in this he judged rightly. Lawrence 
was quite as eager as the Englishman, and he 
immediately accepted what he took to be a 
challenge. 

In haste he got his men aboard, and as soon 
as possible sail was set. In too great haste, 
because his crew were for the most part un- 
acquainted with the ship, or with their respec- 
tive places. They did not know one another, 
and they did not know their officers. It was 
an act of youthful folly. Lawrence was only 
thirty-two years of age, brave, indeed, but 
reckless. It meant pitting the unprepared 
against the prepared. 

Wishing to impart to the men some of his 
own ardor, Captain Lawrence told them of 



"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 139 

the glory that would be theirs; of the joyous 
reception which would be given them when 
they returned to Boston victorious, and of the 
prize money they would win. To defeat he 
gave no thought. Thus he spoke to them as 
they went down the harbor, but among the 
crew, made up of various nationalities, there 
was a lack of his own enthusiasm, and a dissat- 
isfaction which his words did not remove. 

The Chesapeake reached the mouth of the 
harbor at ten minutes before six o'clock in the 
afternoon; the Shannon was ready and wait- 
ing for her, and at once the battle commenced. 
The Shannon opened hostilities, and it was 
soon seen that Captain Broke's efforts to teach 
his gunners to shoot straight had not been 
wasted. The sharpshooters in her tops did 
deadly execution, and it became almost im- 
possible to keep a man at the wheel. Within 
five minutes Captain Lawrence was wounded, 
although not dangerously, and Mr. Ludlow, 
his first lieutenant, was mortally injured about 
the same time. 

The Chesapeake was living up to her un- 
enviable reputation. The upper deck was 



i 4 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

swept almost clean of men; a quantity of am- 
munition was exploded, doing deadly execu- 
tion; the executive officer was mortally 
wounded, and the ship, without a guiding 
hand at the wheel, drifted so that she crashed 
into the enemy, and was made fast by grap- 
pling irons. 

Her position was critical; the ships were 
locked together, and Lawrence knew that 
their only salvation was to carry the fight to 
the very deck of the Shannon. He called for 
boarders, but his voice was lost amid the roar 
of cannon. It would, indeed, be an order im- 
possible to carry out, because the crew of the 
Chesapeake, were now doing their utmost to 
repel boarders from the Shannon. 

A second time Captain Lawrence was 
wounded, and this time fatally. A musket 
ball struck him in the abdomen, and he was 
taken down to the cockpit. 

But consciousness remained; while being 
carried below, he noticed a gradual slacken- 
ing in the firing, and called out: "Tell the 
men to fire faster, and don't give up the ship! j 
While I live the flag shall fly." 



"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 141 

It was well for Captain Lawrence that he 
now became delirious. Captain Broke himself 
had led boarders to the deck of the Chesa- 
peake, where for a short time the fighting was 
fast and furious. It was soon over, but not 
before Broke himself was very severely 
wounded in the head. Had the crew of the 
Chesapeake been composed entirely of Ameri- 
can sailors, the result of the battle might have 
been different. What Americans there were 
fought with desperate courage, but in this 
time of need they were deserted by the cow- 
ardly foreigners, who rled to the hold. Their 
officers were nearly all killed or wounded. In 
less than twenty minutes from the firing of the 
first gun, the battle was over, and the Ameri- 
can flag hauled down. What greater lesson 
than this could there be for preparedness? 

But Captain Lawrence never knew that his 
ship had struck. In his delirium he repeated 
many times his last order : "Don't give up the 
ship" an order which will never be forgotten, 
and which, later on, was emblazoned on the 
flag by Commodore Perry in the famous bat- 
tle on Lake Erie. 



142 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

And not for some days did Captain Broke 
know that he had won the victory, for he be- 
came unconscious from his wound, from 
which, however, he was fortunate enough to 
recover later. 

The Shannon took her prize to Halifax, 
and there on July 5th, 1813, the hero died. 
His body, and that of Lieutenant Ludlow, 
were afterwards taken to New York, where 
they were buried, with due honor, in Trin- 
ity churchyard. Engraved upon the monu- 
ment erected to the memory of Captain James 
Lawrence may be read the words, which will 
live forever: 

"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP." 



A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 

IT has often been a matter for considerable 
surprise to me, that while the urban popula- 
tion of Great Britain is periodically agitated 
over the great sea-serpent question, sailors, as 
a class, have very little to say on the subject. 
During a considerable sea experience in all 
classes of vessels, except men-of-war, and in 
most positions, I have heard a fairly compre- 
hensive catalogue of subjects brought under 
dog-watch discussion; but the sea-serpent had 
never, with my recollection, been one of 
them. 

The reason for this abstinence may vary a 
great deal, but chief among them is — sailors, 
as a class, "don't believe in no such pusson." 
More than that, they do believe that the 
mythical sea-serpent is "boombed" at certain 
periods, in the lack of other subjects, which 

143 



i 4 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

may not be far from the fact. But there is 
also another reason, involving a disagreeable, 
although strictly accurate statement. Sail- 
ors are, again taken as a class, the least ob- 
servant of men. They will talk by the hour 
of trivialities about which they know nothing; 
they will spin interminable "cuffers" of de- 
baucheries ashore all over the world; pick to 
pieces the reputation of all the officers with 
whom they have ever sailed; but of the glo- 
ries, marvels, and mysteries of the mighty 
deep you will hear not a word. I can never 
forget when on my first voyage, to the West 
Indies, at the age of twelve, I was one night 
smitten with awe and wonder at the sight of 
a vast halo round the moon, some thirty or 
forty degrees in diameter. Turning to the 
man at the wheel, I asked him earnestly "what 
that was." He looked up with an uninterested 
eye for an instant in the direction of my finger, 
then listlessly informed me, "That's what they 
call a sarcle." For a long time I wondered 
what he could mean, but it gradually dawned 
upon me that it was his Norfolk pronuncia- 
tion of the word circle. The definition was 



A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 145 

a typical one, no worse than would be given 
by the great majority of seamen of most of 
the natural phenomena they witness daily. 
Very few seamen could distinguish between 
one whale and another of a different species, 
or give an intelligible account of the most 
ordinary and often-seen denizens of the sea. 
Whalers are especially to be blamed for their 
blindness. "Eyes and no Eyes; or the Art of 
Seeing" has evidently been little heard of 
among them. To this day I can conceive of 
no more delightful journey for a naturalist to 
make than a voyage in a southern whaler, 
especially if he were allowed to examine at his 
leisure such creatures as were caught. But on 
board the Cachalot I could get no informa- 
tion at all upon the habits of the strange crea- 
tures we met with, except whales, and very 
little about them. 

I have before referred to the great mol- 
luscs upon which the sperm whale feeds, por- 
tions of which I so frequently saw ejected 
from the stomach of dying whales. Great as 
my curiosity naturally was to know more of 
these immense organisms, all my inquiries on 



i 4 6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the subject were fruitless. These veterans of 
the whale-fishery knew that the sperm whale 
lived on big cuttle-fish; but they neither knew, 
nor cared to know, anything more about these 
marvellous molluscs. Yet, from the earliest 
dawn of history, observant men have been 
striving to learn something definite about the 
marine monsters of which all old legends of 
the sea have something to say. 

It would at first sight appear strange that, 
in view of the enormous traffic of steamships 
through the Malacca Straits, so easily "gal- 
lied" a creature as the cachalot should care to 
frequent its waters; indeed, I should certainly 
think that a great reduction in the numbers 
of whales found there must have taken place. 
But it must also be remembered, that in mod- 
ern steam navigation certain well-defined 
courses are laid down, which vessels follow 
from point to point with hardly any devia- 
tion therefrom, and that consequently little 
disturbance of the sea by their panting pro- 
pellers takes place, except upon these subma- 
rine pathways; as, for instance, in the Red 
Sea, where the examination of thousands of 



A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 147 

log-books proved conclusively that, except 
upon straight lines drawn from point to point 
between Suez to Perim, the sea is practically 
unused to-day. 

The few Arab dhows and loitering survey- 
ing ships hardly count in this connection, of 
course. At any rate, we had not entered the 
straits, but were cruising between Car Nico- 
bar and Junkseylon, when we "met up" with 
a full-grown cachalot, as ugly a customer as 
one could wish. From nine a. m. till dusk 
the battle raged — for I have often noticed that 
unless you kill your whale pretty soon, he 
gets so wary, as well as fierce, that you stand 
a gaudy chance of being worn down your- 
selves before you settle accounts with your ad- 
versary. This affair certainly looked at one 
time as if such would be the case with us; 
but along about five p. m., to our great joy, we 
got him killed. The ejected food was in 
masses of enormous size, larger than any we 
had yet seen on the voyage, some of them 
being estimated to be of the size of our hatch 
house, viz., 8 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet. The 
whale having been secured alongside, all 



148 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

hands were sent below, as they were worn out 
with the day's work. The third mate being 
ill, I had been invested with the questionable 
honour of standing his watch, on account of 
my sea experience and growing favour with 
the chief. Very bitterly did I resent the priv- 
ilege at the time, I remember, being so tired 
and sleepy that I knew not how to keep awake. 
I did not imagine that anything would hap- 
pen to make me prize that night's experience 
for the rest of my life, or I should have taken 
matters with a far better grace. 

At about ii p. m. I was leaning over the 
lee rail, gazing steadily at the bright surface 
of the sea, where the intense radiance of the 
tropical moon made a broad path like a pave- 
ment of burnished silver. Eyes that saw not, 
mind only confusedly conscious of my sur- 
roundings, were mine; but suddenly I started 
to my feet with an exclamation, and stared 
with all my might at the strangest sight I ever 
saw. There was a violent commotion in the 
sea right where the moon's rays were con- 
centrated, so great that, remembering our po- 
sition, I was at first inclined to alarm all 



A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 149 

hands; for I had often heard of volcanic 
islands suddenly lifting their heads from the 
depths below, or disappearing in a moment, 
and, with Sumatra's chain of active volcanoes 
so near, I felt doubtful indeed of what was 
now happening. Getting the night-glasses 
out of the cabin scuttle, where they were al- 
ways hung in readiness, I focussed them on 
the troubled spot, perfectly satisfied by a short 
examination that neither volcano nor earth- 
quake had anything to do with what was going 
on; yet so vast were the forces engaged that 
I might well have well been excused for my 
first supposition. A very large sperm whale 
was locked in deadly conflict with a scuttle- 
fish, or squid, almost as large as himself, 
whose interminable tentacles seemed to en- 
lace the whole of his great body. The head 
of the whale especially seemed a perfect net- 
work of writhing arms — naturally, I suppose, 
for it appeared as if the whale had the tail 
part of the mollusc in his jaws, and, in a busi- 
ness-like, methodical way, was sawing 
through it. By the side of the black columnar 
head of the whale appeared the head of a 



ISO THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

great squid, as awful an object as one could 
well imagine even in a fevered dream. Judg- 
ing as carefully as possible, I estimated it to 
be at least as large as one of our pipes, which 
contained three hundred and fifty gallons; but 
it may have been, and probably was, a good 
deal larger. The eyes were very remarkable 
from their size and blackness, which con- 
trasted with the livid whiteness of the head, 
made their appearance all the more striking. 
They were, at least, a foot in diameter, and, 
seen under such conditions, looked decidedly 
eerie and hobgoblin-like. All around the 
combatants were numerous sharks, like jack- 
als round a lion, ready to share the feast, and 
apparently assisting in the destruction of the 
huge cephalopod. So the titanic struggle 
went on, in perfect silence as far as we were 
concerned, because, even had there been any 
noise, our distance from the scene of conflict 
would not have permitted us to hear it. 

Thinking that such a sight ought not to be 
missed by the captain, I overcame my dread 
of him sufficiently to call him, and tell him 
of what was taking place. He met my re- 



A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 151 

marks with such a furious burst of anger at 
my daring to disturb him for such a cause, that 
I fled precipitately on deck again, having the 
remainder of the vision to myself, for none of 
the others cared sufficiently for such things 
to lose five minutes' sleep in witnessing them. 
The conflict ceased, the sea resumed its placid 
calm, and nothing remained to tell of the fight 
but a strong odor of fish, as of a bank of sea- 
weed left by the tide in the blazing sun. Eight 
bells struck, and I went to a troubled sleep, 
wherein all the awful monsters that an over- 
excited brain could conjure up pursued me 
through the gloomy caves of ocean, or mocked 
my pigmy efforts to escape. 



CAPTAIN KIDD 

The earlier years of Captain Kidd's life were 
spent in Greenock, Scotland, the town of his 
birth. It is not strange that he should have 
obeyed the call of the sea, even though his 
father was a Covenanting Minister, who suf- 
fered much from persecution, for he pos- 
sessed a roving disposition, and in his boy- 
hood days was much in the company of sail- 
ors. For years he sailed the sea, and became 
well and favorably known in New York, from 
which port he sailed, and where he was mar- 
ried. When England and France were at 
war he saw much privateering service, and 
gained such renown for his courage that in 
the year 1691 the city of New York presented 
him with £150! 

In 1594, King William appointed Lord 
Bellomont to be governor of New York. For 
some years the Atlantic had been infested 

152 



CAPTAIN KIDD 153 

with pirates, who carried on their nefarious 
trade from New York to the West Indies. 
They became so bold that they would even 
land at towns on the coast, and force the peo- 
ple to pay tribute. The governor was given 
instructions to use every effort to get rid of 
these pests. 

Before this time Lord Bellomont had been 
governor of the Barbados, and there he had 
met Kidd, who was then captain of a privateer 
operating against the French in the West In- 
dies. The governor must have been im- 
pressed by Captain Kidd, for he requested 
that he be given the command of a man- 
of-war, with orders to wipe out the pi- 
rates. 

But the British government refused to do 
this, so Lord Bellomont and some of his 
friends formed a company, and fitted out a 
ship, appointing Kidd as captain, and secur- 
ing a King's commission giving him authority 
to capture all pirates. 

The prospect was not particularly inviting 
to Kidd, but as England and France were 
again at war, the governor also procured for 



154 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

him from the government a commission en- 
titling him to seize any French ships he might 
intercept. Kidd now accepted, and also in- 
vested a considerable amount of his own 
money in the enterprise. 

It was known that the pirates, in their un- 
holy profession, collected a great amount of 
money and merchandise, and it was in order 
to gather in these hoards for their own profit 
that the company had been formed. 

The Adventure, a ship of 287 tons and 
mounting 30 guns, was purchased. With Cap- 
tain Kidd in command, and a crew of eighty 
men, she sailed from Plymouth Sound in 
May, 1696, bound for New York. 

Before reaching port, the Adventure cap- 
tured several trading ships, which, as a com- 
missioned privateer, Captain Kidd was le- 
gally entitled to do. Having arrived at New 
York, word was sent out to idle sailors that 
special inducements were offered to ship 
aboard the Adventure, and soon a crew of 
more than one hundred and fifty signed. 

The ship sailed late in 1696, manned by a 
lot of rascals ready for any devility, who were 



CAPTAIN KIDD i$$ 

attracted by the expectation of booty. They 
crossed the Atlantic, bound for the Islands 
of Madagascar, which was known to be a pi- 
rate headquarters. 

They sailed round the island, meeting with 
little success. Theirs had been a long voy- 
age, with practically no profit to show, and 
the men were becoming restless. The ship 
was in need of repairs and stores, and this 
fact, coupled with the urging of many of his 
crew, caused William Kidd to change from 
privateer and pirate chaser to pirate, preying 
upon his weaker brethren of the sea. 

It must be understood that he had been sent 
out for the profit of the syndicate he repre- 
sented, and so far he had met with no success. 
Not a pirate had he captured, and only one 
French ship, from which but little was re- 
alized. He became disheartened through his 
ill-fortune, and needed but little persuasion 
to sink to the level of those he sought. 

He crossed the Indian ocean and came to 
the coast of Malabar, where he took a small 
Moorish vessel. He had now committed 
himself definitely, and his course was clear. 



156 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

He pillaged wherever opportunity offered, 
and the more successful he was, the more cruel 
he became. 

After a while the Adventure became un- 
seaworthy, so he transferred his guns and 
stores to the Queda, a ship he had captured. 
He had now collected a large amount of 
booty, which netted him about twenty-five 
thousand pounds in cash, in addition to jewels 
of considerable value, after dividing the spoil 
with the crew. 

For some reason, many of his men deserted 
the ship, so with a crew of less than fifty he 
headed for America, to make a report to 
Lord Bellomont. When he reached the West 
Indies, which was in the spring of 1699, he 
was surprised to learn that the manner of his 
misdoings was widely known. He saw that 
it would be well for him to change the nature 
of these reports, and with this in mind, he 
made all haste to reach the governor, Lord 
Bellomont, who, he thought, would protect 
him. 

He sold the Queda at Antigua and pur- 
chased a swift sloop, in which he sailed to 



CAPTAIN KIDD 157 

Oyster Bay, on Long Island Sound. Here he 
is supposed to have hidden a large part of 
his treasure. He then ventured to Boston, 
where he arrived in July, two years after he 
had begun his cruise in search of pirates. 

When he arrived at Boston he was arrested 
and confined in jail. Lord Bellomont re- 
fused to set him free, or to intercede for him 
with the government. He was afterwards 
taken to London, together with six members 
of his crew, who had gone to Boston with 
him. The trial was held in the famous court 
room at the Old Bailey, and all of them were 
found guilty of piracy, and condemned to be 
executed. The sentence was carried out on 
the 23rd day of May, 1701. 

There has been much speculation as to the 
amount of treasure Captain Kidd brought 
back to America with him. Doubtless, the 
imagination of man has greatly enlarged it, 
but that it was considerable there is no ques- 
tion. It is known that his wife and the gov- 
ernment received at least a part of it; for 
the rest of his hoard many have sought, but 
without success. 



158 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

William Kidd's career as a pirate was brief. 
He was a man with brilliant prospects before 
him, which he not only destroyed, but brought 
himself to a terrible end through his lust for 
gold. 



HONEST JOHN, PILOT OF THE 
JERSEY 

ONE beautiful morning in May, a good many 
years ago, the passenger boat Jersey left Buf- 
falo, New York, bound for Erie, Pennsylva- 
nia. It was a balmy spring day, and the ship 
was crowded with people who were taking 
advantage of the fine weather. 

It was late in the afternoon, and the boat 
was due to reach her destination in about an 
hour. Old John Maynard, one of the best 
known and most popular pilots on the lake, 
was at the wheel. He was a bluff old sailor, 
who had sailed over every known sea. A ge- 
nial, kind-hearted and generous man was 
Honest John, as he was called. 

They were about ten miles from land when 
a thin spiral of smoke was observed coming 
from below. The captain sent a sailor to see 

159 



160 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

if anything were wrong, and the man quickly 
returned with the news that there was a fire 
in the hold. 

The captain hastened down, and found that 
the fire had made considerable headway. He 
at once ordered passengers and sailors to the 
deck, and formed them in two lines, so that 
the hold could be reached on either side, and 
soon buckets of water were being quickly 
passed from hand to hand. There was no fire- 
fighting apparatus on board, so this primi- 
tive method had to be adopted. As soon as 
a bucket was emptied, it was returned to those 
whose part it was to refill it from the lake. 

The efforts to quell the fire seemed to be 
meeting with success. The flames were al- 
most conquered when a gust of wind revived 
them, and soon the blaze was more furious 
than ever. The partition between the hold 
and the saloon caught, and in a few minutes 
the fire had eaten its way to the deck itself. 

They were now about seven miles from 
land, and with a full head of steam this could 
be made in forty minutes. The vessel had 
no boats on board, there being no law then 



HONEST JOHN 161 

compelling ships engaged in lake traffic to 
take this measure of safety for passengers and 
crew. Their hope lay in what speed could 
be made, and in the ability of the man at the 
wheel. 

The heat became intense, and the smoke 
was suffocating, but John Maynard stuck to 
his post at the helm, and between him and 
the fore part of the ship was now a sheet of 
flame and smoke which separated him from 
the terrified passengers and crew, who had re- 
treated to the bow. The fire had driven the 
engineers from their station below; planks 
to which the women and children might be 
lashed were pulled from the deck, and men 
were preparing to plunge into the water in an 
effort to swim to shore. 

The paddles were still working, and gradu- 
ally they neared the shore. Their plight had 
been discovered, and boats were put off to 
render them assistance. They were now less 
than two miles from land. 

And what of John Maynard at the wheel? 
The captain called to him: "John, can you 
hold on for another five minutes?" 



1 62 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"I'll do my best, sir," replied John. 

The flames were scorching, and the smoke 
almost suffocated him. He knew that upon 
him depended many human lives, and he de- 
termined to stick to his post even though he 
should lose his own. The very wheel he held 
was attacked by the flames; his right hand 
was burned to a cinder, but he bore the pain 
with fortitude, and still held on with his left. 
His hair was singed and his clothing burned 
from his body, but he held on until he heard 
the captain shout: "Women and children 
first." He held on until he heard cheers, 
which told him that the boats had reached the 
burning ship. 

Then the soul of this hero fled. Truly can 
it be said of Honest John Maynard : "Greater 
love hath no man than this, that he gave up 
his life for others." 



"CASABIANCA" 

Napoleon Bonaparte was climbing to power 
in France by directing her successful arms 
against the world. He had beaten Germany, 
and conquered Italy; he had threatened Eng- 
land, and the dream was of the conquest of 
the East. Like another Alexander, he hoped 
to subdue Asia, and overthrow the hated Brit- 
ish power by depriving it of India. Hitherto, 
his dreams had become earnest by the force 
of his marvellous genius, and by the ardour 
which he breathed into the whole French na- 
tion; and when he set sail from Toulon, with 
40,000 tried and victorious soldiers and a 
magnificent fleet, all were filled with vague 
and unbounded expectations of almost fabu- 
lous glories. He swept away, as it were, the 
degenerate Knights of St. John from their 
rock of Malta, and sailed for Alexandria 
in Egypt in the latter end of June, 1798. 

?63 



1 64 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

His intentions had become known, and the 
English Mediterranean fleet was watching 
the course of this great armament. Sir Ho- 
ratio was in pursuit, with the English ves- 
sels, and wrote to the First Lord of the Ad- 
miralty: "Be they bound to the Antipodes, 
your lordship may rely that I will not lose a 
moment in bringing them to action." 

Nelson had, however, not ships enough 
to detach any to reconnoitering, and he actu- 
ally overpassed the French, whom he guessed 
to be on the way to Egypt; he arrived at the 
port of Alexandria on the 28th of June, and 
saw its blue waters and flat coast lying still in 
their sunny torpor, as if no enemy were on the 
seas. Back he went to Syracuse, but could 
learn no more there; he obtained provisions 
with some difficulty, and then, in great anx- 
iety, sailed for Greece, where at last, on the 
28th of July, he learned that the French fleet 
had been seen from Candia, steering to the 
southeast, about four weeks since. In fact, it 
had actually passed by him in a thick haze, 
which concealed each fleet from the other, and 
had arrived in port at Alexandria on the first 



"CASABIANCA" 165 

day of July, just three days after he had 
left it! 

Every sail was set for the south, and at 
four o'clock in the afternoon of the 1st of 
August a very different sight was seen in 
Aboukir Bay, so solitary a month ago. It was 
crowded with shipping. Great castle-like 
men-of-war rose with all their proud, calm 
dignity out of the water, their dark portholes 
opening in the white bands on their sides, and 
the tricolored flag floating as their ensign. 
There were thirteen ships of the line and four 
frigates, and, of these, three were 80-gun 
ships, and one, towering high above the rest, 
with her three decks, was UOrient, of 120 
guns. Look well at her, for there stands the 
hero for whose sake we have chosen this and 
no other of Nelson's glorious fights to place 
among the setting of our Golden Deeds. 
There he is, a little cadet de vaisseau, as the 
French call a midshipman, only ten years old, 
with a heart swelling between awe and exul- 
tation at the prospect of his first battle; but, 
fearless and glad, for is he not the son of the 
brave Gasabianca, the flag-captain? And is 



1 66 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

not this Brueys' own ship, looking down in 
scorn on the fourteen little English ships, not 
one carrying more than 74 guns, and one 
only 50? 

Why Napoleon had kept the fleet there was 
never known. In his usual way of disavowing 
whatever turned out ill, he laid the blame 
upon Admiral Bruey; but, though dead men 
could not tell tales, his papers made it plain 
that the ships had remained in obedience to 
commands, though they had not been able to 
enter the harbor of Alexandria. Large re- 
wards had been offered to any pilot who 
would take them in, but none could be found 
who would venture to steer into that port a 
vessel drawing more than twenty feet of wa- 
ter. They had, therefore, remained at an- 
chor outside, in Aboukir Bay, drawn up in 
a curve along the deepest of the water, with 
no room to pass them at either end, so that 
the commissary of the fleet reported that they 
could bid defiance to a force more than double 
their number. The admiral believed that 
Nelson had not ventured to attack him when 
they had passed by one another a month be- 



"CASABIANCA" 167 

fore, and when the English fleet was signalled, 
he still supposed that it was too late in the 
day for an attack to be made. 

Nelson had, however, no sooner learned 
that the French were in sight than he sig- 
nalled from his ship, the Vanguard, that pre- 
parations for battle should be made, and in 
the meantime summoned his captains to re- 
ceive his orders during a hurried meal. He 
explained that, where there was room for a 
large French ship to swing, there was room 
for a small English one to anchor, and, there- 
fore, he designed to bring his ships up to the 
outer part of the French line, and station them 
close below their adversaries; a plan that he 
said Lord Hood had once designed, though he 
had not carried it out. 

Captain Berry was delighted, and ex- 
claimed, "If we succeed, what will the world 
say?" 

"There is no if in the case," returned Nel- 
son; "that we shall succeed is certain. Who 
may live to tell the tale is a very different 
question." 

And when they rose and parted, he said, 



1 68 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"Before this time to-morrow I shall have 
gained a peerage or Westminster Abbey." 

In the fleet went, through a fierce storm 
of shot and shell from a French battery in 
an island in advance. Nelson's own ship, the 
Vanguard, was the first to anchor within half- 
pistol-shot of the third French ship, the Spar- 
tlate. The Vanguard had six colors flying, 
in case any should be shot away; and such was 
the fire that was directed on her, that in a few 
minutes every man at the six guns in her fore- 
part was killed or wounded, and this hap- 
pened three times. Nelson himself received 
a wound in the head, which was thought at 
first to be mortal, but which proved but slight. 
He would not allow the surgeon to leave the 
sailors to attend to him till it came to his turn. 

Meantime his ships were doing their work 
gloriously. The Bellerophon was, indeed, 
overpowered by L'Orient, 200 of her crew 
killed, and all her masts and cables shot away, 
so that she drifted away as night came on ; but 
the Swiftsure came up in her place, and the 
Alexander and Leander both poured in their 
shot. Admiral Brueys received three wounds, 



"CASABIANCA" 169 

but would not quit his post, and at length a 
fourth shot almost cut him in two. He de- 
sired not to be carried below, but that he 
might die on deck. 

About nine o'clock the ship took fire, and 
blazed up with fearful brightness, lighting up 
the whole bay, and showing five French ships 
with their colors hauled down, the others 
still fighting on. Nelson himself rose and 
came on deck when this fearful glow came 
shining from sea and sky into his cabin; and 
gave orders that the English boats should im- 
mediately be put off for L'Orient, to save as 
many lives as possible. 

The English sailors rowed up to the burn- 
ing ship which they had lately been attack- 
ing. The French officers listened to the offer 
of safety, and called to the little favorite of 
the ship, the captain's son, to come with them. 
"No," said the boy, "he was where his father 
had stationed him, and bidden him not to 
move save at his call." They told him his 
father's voice would never call him again, for 
he lay senseless and mortally wounded on the 
deck, and that the ship must presently blow 



170 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

up. "No," said the brave child, "he must 
obey his father." The moment allowed no 
delay — the boat put off. The flames showed 
all that passed in a quivering glare more in- 
tense than daylight, and the little fellow was 
then seen on deck, leaning over the prostrate 
figure, and presently tying it to one of the 
spars of the shivered masts. 

Just then a thundering explosion shook 
down to the very hold every ship in the har- 
bor, and burning fragments of UOrient 
came falling far and wide, splashing heavily 
into the water, in the dead awful stillness that 
followed the fearful sound. English boats 
were plying busily about, picking up those 
who had leapt overboard in time. Some were 
dragged in through the lower port-holes of. 
the English ships, and about seventy were 
saved altogether. For one moment a boat's 
crew had sight of a helpless figure bound to 
a spar, and guided by a little childish swim- 
mer, who must have gone overboard with his 
precious freight just before the explosion. 
They rode after the brave little fellow, ear- 
nestly desiring to save him, but in darkness, 



"CASABIANCA" 171 

in smoke, in lurid uncertain light, amid hosts 
of drowning wretches, they lost sight of him 
again. 

By sunrise the victory was complete. Nay, 
as Nelson said, "It was not a victory, but a 
conquest." Only four French ships escaped, 
and Napoleon and his army were cut off from 
home. These are the glories of the English 
navy, gained by men with hearts as true and 
obedient as that of the brave child they had 
tried in vain to save. Yet still, while giving 
the full meed of thankful, sympathetic honor 
to the noble sailors, we cannot but feel that 
the Golden Deed of Aboukir Bay fell to — 

"That young faithful heart." 

The boy stood on the burning deck, 

Whence all but him had fled; 
The flame that lit the battle's wreck, 

Shone round him o'er the dead. 

Yet beautiful and bright he stood, 

As born to rule the storm; 
A creature of heroic blood, 

A proud though childlike form. 



172 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The flames rolled on — he would not go 

Without his father's word; 
That father, faint in death below, 

His voice no longer heard. 

He called aloud — "Say, father, say 

If yet my task be done!" 
He knew not that the chieftain lay 

Unconscious of his son. 

"Speak, father!" once again he cried, 

"If I may yet be gone!" 
And but the booming shots replied, 

And fast the flames rolled on. 

Upon his brow he felt their breath, 

And in his waving hair; 
And looked from that lone post of death, 

In still, yet brave despair. 

And shouted but once more aloud, 

"My father! must I stay?" 
While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud, 

The wreathing fires made way. 



"CASABIANCA" 17; 

They wrapt the ship in splendour wild, 
They caught the flag on high, 
And streamed above the gallant child, 
Like banners in the sky. 

There came a burst of thunder sound — 

The boy — oh! where was he? 
Ask of the winds that far around 

With fragments strewed the sea. 

With mast, and helm, and pennon fair, 
That well had borne their part; 

But the noblest thing that perished there 
Was that young faithful heart. 

— Felicia Dorothea Hemans. 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 

PART I 

The Susannah was a fine brig, of about three 
hundred tons' burden. She had a raised poop, 
but no top-gallant forecastle, so the crew were 
berthed in the forepeak, in the very nose, as 
it were, of the vessel. I had engaged to serve 
as a boy before the mast. Indeed, perfectly 
unknown as I was, with slight pretensions to 
a knowledge of seamanship, I could not hope 
to obtain any other berth. 

The crew were composed of about equal 
numbers of Americans — that is, subjects of 
the United States — and of Englishmen, with 
two blacks and a mulatto, a Spaniard, and a 
Portuguese. The first officer, Mr. Dobree, 
was a great dandy, and evidently considered 
himself much too good for his post; while the 

174 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 175 

second mate, Mr. Jones, was a rough and 
ready seaman, thoroughly up to his work. 

I was welcomed by my new shipmates in the 
fore-peak with many rough but no unkind 
jokes; and as I had many stories to tell of my 
adventures in the backwoods, before we 
turned in for the night I had made myself 
quite at home with them. 

At daybreak on the next morning all hands 
were roused out to weigh anchor. The sec- 
ond mate's voice had scarcely done sounding 
in my ear before I was on deck, and with the 
rest running round between the capstan-bars. 
"Loose the top-sails," next sang out the cap- 
tain. I sprung aloft to aid in executing the 
order. Though a young seaman may not have 
knowledge, he may, at all events, exhibit ac- 
tivity in obeying orders, and thus gain his 
superior's approbation. The anchor was 
quickly run up to the bows, the top-sails were 
sheeted home, and with a light breeze from 
the northward, we stood towards the mouth 
of the Mississippi. 

As we passed close to the spot where, on the 
previous day, the Foam lay at anchor, I 



176 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

looked for her. She was nowhere to be seen. 
She must have got under weigh and put to 
sea at night. "She's gone, Peter, you ob- 
serve," remarked Captain Searle, as some 
piece of duty called me near him. "I am glad 
you are not on board her; and I hope neither 
you nor I may ever fall in with her again." 
From New Orleans to Belize, at the mouth 
of the Mississippi, is about one hundred miles, 
and this distance, with the aid of the current 
and a favourable breeze, we accomplished by 
dusk, when we prepared once more to breast 
old ocean's waves. These last hundred miles 
of the father of rivers were very uninterest- 
ing, the banks being low, swampy, and dis- 
mal in the extreme, pregnant with ague and 
fevers. Although I rejoiced to be on the free 
ocean, I could scarcely help feeling regret at 
leaving, probably forever, the noble stream on 
whose bosom I had so long floated — on whose 
swelling and forest-shaded banks I had trav- 
elled so far — whom I had seen in its infancy, 
if an infant it may ever be considered, in 
its proud manhood, and now at the termina- 
tion of its mighty course. 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 177 

These thoughts quickly vanished, however, 
as I felt the lively vessel lift to the swelling 
wave, and smelt the salt pure breeze from 
off the sea. Though the sea-breeze was very 
reviving after the hot pestilential air of New 
Orleans, yet as it came directly in our teeth, 
our captain wished it from some other quar- 
ter. We were enabled, however, to work off 
the shore, and as during the night the land- 
breeze came pretty strong, by daybreak the 
next morning we were fairly at sea. 

Before the sun had got us the wind had 
gone down, and it soon became what seamen 
call a flat calm. The sea, as the hot rays of 
the sun shone on it, was, as it were, like molten 
lead; the sails flapped lazily against the mast; 
the brig's sides, as she every now and then 
gave an unwilling roll, threw off with a loud 
splash the bright drops of water which they 
lapped up from the imperceptibly heaving 
bosom of the deep. The hot sun struck down 
on our heads with terrific force, while the 
pitch bubbled up out of the seams of the deck; 
and Bill Tasker, the wit of the crew, declared 
he could hear it squeak into the bargain. An 



178 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

awning was spread over the deck in some way 
to shelter us, or we should have been roasted 
alive. Bill, to prove the excess of the heat, 
fried a slice of salt junk on a piece of tin, 
and, peppering it well, declared it was deli- 
cious. The only person who seemed not only 
not to suffer from the heat, but to enjoy it, was 
the black cook, and he, while not employed 
in his culinary operation, spent the best part 
of the day basking on the bowsprit-end. 

The crew were engaged in their usual oc- 
cupation of knotting yarns, making sinnit, etc., 
while the aforesaid Bill Tasker was instruct- 
ing me — for whom he had taken a special 
fancy — in the mysteries of knotting and splic- 
ing; but we all of us, in spite of ourselves, 
went about our work in a listless, careless way, 
nor had the officers sufficient energy to make 
us more lively. Certainly it was hot. There 
had been no sail in sight that I know of all 
the day, when, as I by chance happened to 
cast my eyes over the bulwarks, they fell on 
the topsails of a schooner, just rising above 
the line of the horizon. 

"A sail on the starboard bow!" I sung out 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 179 

to the man who was nominally keeping a look- 
out forward. He reported the same to the 
first mate. 

"Where away is she?" I heard the captain 
enquire, as he came directly afterwards on 
deck. 

"To the southward, sir; she seems to be 
creeping up towards us with a breeze of some 
sort or other," answered Mr. Dobree. "Here, 
lad," he continued, beckoning to me, "go aloft, 
and see what you can make of her; your eyes 
are as sharp as any on board, if I mistake not, 
and a little running will do you no harm." 

I was soon at the masthead, and in two 
minutes returned, and reported her to be a 
large topsail schooner, heading north-north- 
east, with the wind about southeast. 

"I can't help thinking, sir, from her look, 
that this is the same craft that was lying off 
New Orleans two days ago," I added, touch- 
ing my hat to the captain. I don't remember 
exactly what made me suppose this, but such 
I know was my idea at the time. 

"What, your friend Captain Hawk's craft, 
the Foam, you mean, I suppose," he observed. 



180 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"But how can that be? She was bound to 
Havannah, and this vessel is standing away 
from it." 

"I can't say positively, sir; but if you would 
take the glass and have a look at her, I don't 
think you would say she is very unlike her, at 
all events," I replied. 

"It's very extraordinary if such is the case," 
said the captain, looking rather more as if he 
thought I might be right than before. 

"Give me the glass, and I'll judge for my- 
self; though it's impossible to say for a cer- 
tainty what she may be at this distance." Say- 
ing this, he took the telescope and, in spite of 
the heat, went aloft. 

When he came down again I observed that 
he looked graver than usual. He instantly 
gave orders to furl the awning, and to be 
ready to make sail as soon as the breeze should 
reach us. "The youngster is right, Mr. Do- 
bree," he said, turning to the mate, and prob- 
ably not aware that I overheard him. 

"It's that piccarooning craft, the Foam; 
and Mr. Hawk, as he calls himself, is after 
some of his old tricks. I had my suspicions 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 181 

of him when I saw him off New Orleans; but 
I did not think he would venture to attack us." 

"He's bold enough to attack any one, sir," 
said the mate; "but we flatter ourselves that 
we shall be able to give a very good account 
of him, if he begins to play off any of his 
tricks on us." 

"We'll do our best, Mr. Dobree," said the 
captain; "for if we do not, we shall have but 
a Flemish account to render of our cargo, let 
alone our lives." 

I do not know if I before stated that the 
Susannah carried four guns — two long and 
two carronades; and as we had a supply of 
small arms and cutlasses, we were tolerably 
able to defend ourselves. 

The captain walked the deck for some time 
in silence, during which period the stranger 
had perceptibly approached us. He then 
again went aloft, and scrutinised her atten- 
tively. On coming down he stopped at the 
break of the poop, and, waving his hand, let 
us know that he wished to address us: "My 
lads," he began, "I don't altogether like the 
look of that fellow out yonder, who has been 



182 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

taking so much pains to get up to us. He may 
be honest, but I tell you I don't think so; and 
if he attempts to molest us, I'm sure you'll 
one and all do your duty in defending the brig 
and the property on board her entrusted to 
you. I need not tell you that pirates gen- 
erally trust to the saying, that dead men tell 
no tales; and that, if that fellow is one, and 
gets the better of us, our lives won't be worth 
much to any of us." 

"Don't fear for us, sir; we're ready for him, 
whatever he may be," sung out the whole crew 
with one voice. 

The stranger brought along the breeze with 
him, but as yet our sails had not felt a par- 
ticle of its influence. At length, when he was 
little more than a mile off, a few cat's paws 
were seen playing on the water; they came 
and vanished again as rapidly, and the sea 
was soon as before. In time they came oftener 
and with more power; and at length our top- 
sails and top-gallant sails were seen slowly to 
bulge out as the steadier breeze filled them. 

The wind came, as I have said, from the 
southeast, which was directly in our teeth in 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 183 

our proper course to Havannah. The stranger 
had thus the weather-guage of us, and a glance 
at the map will show that we were completely 
embayed, as we had stood to the eastward, 
and we should have run on the Florida coast, 
while on the other tack we must have run 
right down to meet him. We might possi- 
sibly reach some port; but the probabili- 
ties were that he might overtake us before 
we could do so, and the appearance of fear 
would encourage him to follow us. We had 
therefore only the choice of running back to 
Belize, or of fighting our way onward. Cap- 
tain Searle decided on the latter alternative; 
and bracing the yards sharply upon the star- 
board tack, we stood to the eastward, intend- 
ing, whatever course the stranger pursued, to 
go about again at the proper time. 

The schooner, on seeing this, also closely 
hugged the wind and stood after us. There 
could now be no longer any doubt about his 
intentions. We, however, showed the stars 
and stripes of the United States, but he hoisted 
no ensign in return. It was very soon evi- 
dent that he sailed faster than we did, and 



184 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

he was then coming rapidly within range of 
our guns. Our captain ordered us, however, 
on no account to fire, unless we were struck, 
as he was unwilling to sacrifice the lives of 
any one unnecessarily, even of our enemies. 

Every stitch of canvas the brig could carry 
was cracked on her: all would not do. The 
stranger walked up to us hand over hand. 
Seeing that there was not the slightest chance 
of escaping by flight, Captain Searle ordered 
the foresail and top-gallant sails to be clewed 
up, and under our topsails and fore-and-aft 
sails resolved to wait the coming up of the 
enemy, if such the stranger might prove. 

On came the schooner, without firing or 
showing any unfriendly disposition. As she 
drew near, I felt more and more convinced 
that she must be the Foam. She had a pecu- 
liarly long cut-water and a very straight 
sheer, which, as she came up to the windward 
of us and presented nearly her broadside, was 
discernible. As she heeled over to the now 
freshening breeze, I fancied that I could even 
discern, through the glass, Captain Hawk 
walking the quarter-deck. When she got 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 185 

about a quarter of a mile to windward of us 
she hove to and lowered a boat, into which 
several people jumped and pulled towards 
us. At the same time up went the Spanish 
ensign at her peak. 

Captain Searle looked puzzled. "I cannot 
make it out, Dobree," he observed. "I still 
doubt if that fellow is honest, and am half 
inclined to make sail again, and while he 
bears down to pick up his boat we may get to 
windward of him." 

"If he isn't honest, he'll not trouble himself 
about his boat, but will try to run alongside 
us, and let her come up when she can," an- 
swered the mate. "There is no trusting to 
what such craft as that fellow may do." 

"Oh, we'll take care he does not play off 
any tricks upon us," said the captain; and we 
waited the approach of the boat. 

As she drew near, she was seen to contain 
eight men. Four were pulling, one sat in the 
bow, and the other in the stern-sheets. If 
they were armed, it could not be discovered. 
When they got within hail, the captain asked 
them what they wanted? 



1 86 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 



They pointed to their mouths, and one an- 
swered in Spanish, "Aqua, aqua, por amor de 
Dios." 

"They want water, sir, they say," observed 
the first mate, who prided himself on his 
knowledge of Spanish. 

"That's the reason, then, that they were in 
such a hurry to speak to us," said the captain. 
"But still, does it not strike you as odd that a 
vessel should be in want of water in these 
seas?" 

"Her water-butts might have leaked out, 
and some of these Spanish gentry, sir, are 
very careless about taking enough water to 
sea," replied the mate, who was biassed by 
the pleasure he anticipated of being able to 
sport his Spanish. 

"Get a water-cask up on deck, and we'll 
have it ready to give these fellows, whatever 
they may be," said our humane captain. 
"Have some pannikins ready to serve it out 
to them. Thirst is a dreadful thing, and one 
would not keep a fellow-creature in that state 
a moment longer than one could help." 

I do not know what the second mate 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 187 

thought of the strangers, but I remember sev- 
eral of the crew saying that they did not like 
their looks; and I saw him place a cutlass 
close to the gun nearest the starboard gang- 
way, while he kept eyeing them in no very 
affectionate manner. Notwithstanding the 
heat of the weather, the men in the stern- 
sheets wore cloaks. On observing this, Bill 
Tasker said he supposed it was to hide the 
shabby jackets they wore under them. The 
other men were dressed in blue shirts, and 
their sleeves rolled up to the shoulder, with 
the red sash usually worn by Spaniards round 
their waist, in which was stuck the deadly 
Cuchillo, or cut-and-thrust knife, in a sheath, 
carried by most Lusitanian and Iberian sea- 
men, and their descendants of the New 
World. 

They pulled up at once alongside, ana* be- 
fore any one attempted to stop them they had 
hooked on, the man in the bows climbing up 
on deck, followed by his companions in cloaks, 
and two of the seamen. The other two re- 
mained in the boat, pointing at their mouths, 
as a sign that they wanted water. 



188 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Seamen, from the sufferings and dangers 
to which they were exposed, are proverbially 
kind to those in distress. Our men, there- 
fore, seemed to vie with each other who 
should first hold the pannikins of water to 
the mouths of the strangers, while a tub, with 
the fluid, was also lowered into the boat along- 
side. They eagerly rushed at the water, and 
drank up all that was offered them, but I 
could not help remarking that they did not 
look like men suffering from thirst. How- 
ever, a most extraordinary effect was pro- 
duced on two of them, for they fell down on 
the deck, as if in intense agony. This drew 
the attention of all hands on them; and as we 
had no surgeon on board, the captain began 
to ransack his medical knowledge to find rem- 
edies for them. 

While he was turning over the pages of 
his medical guide to find some similar case 
of illness and its remedy described, the 
schooner was edging down towards us. As she 
approached, I observed only a few men on 
board; and they, as the people in the boat had 
done, were pointing at their mouths, as if 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 189 

they were suffering from the want of water. 
I think I said that there were some sails, 
and two or three cloaks, apparently thrown 
by chance, in the bottom of the boat. While 
all hands were engaged in attending to the 
strangers, and for some minutes no one had 
looked towards the schooner; on a sudden I 
heard a loud grating sound — there was the 
wild triumphant cry of a hundred fierce 
voices. The seemingly exhausted men leaped 
to their feet — the helmsman and our captain 
lay prostrate by blows dealt by our treacher- 
ous foes — the second mate and several of the 
men were knocked down; and before any of 
us had time to attempt even any defence of 
the brig, a set of desperadoes, of all colours 
and nations, were swarming down on her 
decks from the rigging of the schooner; while 
others who had been concealed in the boats 
sprang on board on the lee side. Never was 
a surprise more complete, or treachery more 
vile. In an instant we were helplessly in the 
power of as lawless a band of pirates as ever 
infested those seas. The captain and mates 
were first pinioned — the men were sharing 



190 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the same treatment. I was at the time for- 
ward, when, on looking aft, who should I see 
but Captain Hawk himself, walking the deck 
of the brig as if he were her rightful com- 
mander. He took off his hat with mock cour- 
tesy to poor Captain Searle, as he passed him. 
"Ah! my dear sir, the fortune of war makes 
you my prisoner today," he said, in a sneering 
tone; "another day, if my people do not insist 
on your walking the plank, you may hope, 
perhaps, to have the satisfaction of behold- 
ing me dangling at a yard-arm. By the bye, 
I owe you this turn; for you shipped on board 
your craft a lad who had engaged to sail with 
me, and I must have him forthwith back 
again, with a few other articles of your cargo 
which I happen to require." As he said this, 
his eye fell on me, and he beckoned me 
towards him. I saw that there was no use 
hanging back, so I boldly advanced. "You 
are a pretty fellow to desert your colours," 
he continued, laughing. "You deserve to be 
treated as a deserter. However, I will have 
compassion on your youth, if you will swear 
to be faithful to me in the future." 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 191 

"I never joined your vessel, so I am not a 
deserter. I cannot swear to serve a man of 
whose character I know nothing, except that 
he has taken forcible possession of a peace- 
ful trader." I said this without hesitation or 
the least sign of fear. The truth is, I felt too 
desperate to allow myself to consider what I 
said or did. 

"You are a brave young bantam," he an- 
swered, laughingly. "And though all the rest 
may hang or walk the plank, we will save you 
to afford us sport, so set your mind at rest." 

"Thank you for my life; for I've no wish to 
lose it, I can assure you," I replied; "but don't 
suppose I am going to spend it in your service. 
I shall do my best to get away from you as 
soon as possible." 

"Then we must tie you to the leg," he an- 
swered, without at all appearing angry. 
"Here, Mark Anthony," — he beckoned to a 
tall, ill-looking black who had been busy in 
securing the rest of the crew, — "take charge 
of this youngster, and render an account of 
him to me by and by, without a hair of his 
head injured, mind you." 



192 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"Yes, sare," said the Roman general, who 
I afterwards found was a runaway slave from 
Kentucky. "I'll not singe his whiskers, even. 
Come here, Massa." And seizing me by the 
shoulder he dragged me forward away from 
the rest of the people. "What's your name?" 
asked my black keeper as he made me sit 
down on the bits of the bowsprit. 

"Peter, at your service, Mr. Mark An- 
thony," said I in as fearless a voice as I could 
command; for having once taken a line of 
conduct which seemed to answer well, I de- 
termined to persevere in it. 

"Den, Massa Peter, you sit dere quiet," he 
said with a grin. "I no break your skull, be- 
cause Hawk break mine if I do. I no let any- 
body else hurt you for the same reason." 

From his look and voice I certainly did 
not flatter myself that he refrained from 
throwing me overboard from any love he bore 
me; but, on the contrary, that he would have 
been much more gratefully employed in 
making me walk the plank, or in tricing me 
up to the fore-yard. 

Meantime the pirates were busily em- 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 193 

ployed in ransacking the vessel, and in trans- 
ferring everything of value to them which 
they could find, from her to their own 
schooner. The captain and mates were 
threatened with instant death if they did not 
deliver up all the money they had on board; 
and even the crew were compelled to hand 
over to our captors the small sums they pos- 
sessed. To make them do this, they were 
knocked about and beaten unmercifully, and 
even those who possessed watches and rings 
were deprived of them, as well as of any 
clothes which appeared worth taking. 

I had often read the history of pirates and 
of their bold exploits till I almost fancied that 
I should like to become one, or at all events 
that I should like to encounter them; but I 
can assure my friends that the reality was 
very different from the fiction, and as the hide- 
ous black was standing over me, ready every 
moment to knock out my brains, and my com- 
panions were suffering all sorts of ill-treat- 
ment, I most heartily wished that such gen- 
try as pirates had not been allowed to exist. 

Though I tried to look as indifferent as 



i 9 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

possible, the black would have observed me 
trembling had he not been watching to see 
what his friends were about, no doubt eager 
to obtain his share of the plunder. The work 
the pirates were engaged in went on for some 
time, till even they had tolerably satiated their 
eagerness for booty; and I then fully expected 
to see them either heave my shipmates over- 
board as food for the sharks alongside, or 
hang them at the yard-arms, and then set the 
ship on fire, as Mark Anthony insinuated for 
my satisfaction, that they would do. Instead 
of this, to my surprise, Captain Hawk went 
up to Captain Searle and said, "I sent a mes- 
sage by that youngster there to you to look 
out for yourself, and I never threaten in vain. 
He goes with me. I want a good navigator; 
and as your second mate seems a lively sort 
of person, I shall take him also. The rest of 
you may go free; but remember, if any of you 
attempt to betray me, or to appear as witnesses 
against me, you will dearly pay for it." 

Our poor captain, who was almost ruined 
and heartbroken by the pillage of his ship, 
said nothing, but bowed his head on his breast, 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 195 

looking as if he would as soon have been killed 
outright. The unfortunate mate, Abraham 
Jones, seemed horrified at hearing what his 
fate was to be; but he knew enough about 
the pirates to be aware that it would have 
been worse than useless to attempt to escape 
accompanying them. He, however, took the 
precaution of calling on the crew of the Sus- 
sannah to bear witness that he was compelled 
through bodily fear and by force to join the 
pirates; and he made the best show of resist- 
ance that under the circumstances he could 
venture to do. 

From what I saw of him, I do not think 
that he had so great an objection to joining 
them as some men might have had. Indeed, 
I confess that I was very wrong in doing so; 
and I feel that a person ought rather to sac- 
rifice his life than consent to commit a crime, 
even though driven to it with a dagger to his 
throat. However, both Jones and I fancied 
that the only chance of saving our own lives, 
and those of our shipmates, was by our going 
on board the schooner. 

"Remember, Captain Searle, if we get into 



196 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

any misfortune through you, these two will be 
the first to suffer; and then again, I say, look 
out for yourself," exclaimed the pirate chief 
as he quitted the deck of the Susannah. 

His people then hove her guns overboard, 
and removed the small arms on board their 
own craft, to which the mate and I were also 
transferred. They also cut the standing and 
running rigging, which would effectually pre- 
vent making sail for a long time to come. 

The first mate was next released, and was 
ordered to stand on the poop, on pain of being 
shot down if he attempted to move while the 
schooner was near. Her boat was then hoisted 
in, she was cast off from the brig, and with a 
cheer of triumph from her crew she stood 
away from the Susannah. 

The first mate wisely did as he was or- 
dered, and it was not till we had got to such 
a distance that there was little fear of his be- 
ing hit, that I saw him jump down to release 
his companions. It was with a sense of mis- 
ery and degradation I have never before ex- 
perienced that I watched till we lost sight of 
the unfortunate Susannah, 



II 



A WEEK passed away on board the Foam. 
Whereabouts we were I had no means of tell- 
ing, for the captain kept me in his cabin, and 
would not allow me to go on deck without 
first asking his leave, nor would he permit me 
to communicate with Mr. Jones. He treated 
me very kindly, and even gave me books with 
which to amuse myself; but I was very far 
from happy. I felt that the schooner might 
some day be captured by a ship of war, and 
that I might probably be hung as a pirate be- 
fore I had an opportunity of establishing my 
innocence. I also did not like to be a prisoner, 
even though I was kindly treated; and I 
thought that, most probably, when Hawk 
found I would not join in any piratical acts, 
and I had resolved that nothing should com- 
pel me to do so, his behaviour would change, 

197 



198 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

and that if I escaped with my life, I should 
no longer be treated as before. 

Abraham Jones had, I am sorry to say, as 
far as I was able to judge from appearances, 
taken readily enough to the office imposed on 
him, and on two occasions when I went on 
deck I saw him doing duty as the officer of 
the watch. My opinion of him was that he 
would not have sought to have become a pi- 
rate, but that, having no nice sense of right 
and wrong — finding himself thrust, as it were, 
into the.life — he did not think it worth mak- 
ing any exertion to escape from it. 

Whether we went to Havannah or not 
I did not know. We certainly were once at 
anchor, and three times we either chased ves- 
sels or were chased by a superior force, from 
the eager tone in which the captain ordered 
sail to be made. Once we fired several shots, 
and were fired at in return; and I suspect it 
must have been at some vessel on our beam 
chasing us, and that some of her rigging or 
her masts must have been cut away, from the 
loud cheers the pirates gave. Perhaps they 
sank the enemy. 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 199 

An hour afterwards Hawk came down into 
the cabin, looking as cool and unconcerned as 
if nothing had happened. I tried to gain some 
information from him, but he would answer 
none of my questions. He only gave a ghastly 
smile when I asked if the vessel at which 
he had fired had sunk; and he then took up a 
book, in which he soon seemed to be deeply 
absorbed. After some time the book dropped 
from his hand, and he sat for half-an-hour in 
a state of abstraction, unconscious of where he 
was, or who was present. 

He was roused by the black, Mark An- 
thony, putting his head in at the door and say- 
ing, "A sail on the lee bow." 

He sprang on deck in a moment, all life 
and activity. Instantly all sail the schooner 
could carry was packed on her, and we were 
bowling along with a fine breeze in chase of 
the stranger. This I could only surmise, how- 
ever, by the way the vessel heeled over to the 
breeze, for I was still kept in the cabin. 

Presently Hawk came down again. "Peter," 
he observed, "you have disappointed me. I 
thought you would not be content to lead the 



200 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

idle life you do; I fancied you would like 
the excitement of the chase and the fight bet- 
ter than sitting alone in the cabin all day, like 
a young girl." 

"I am not content, Captain Hawk," I re- 
plied; "but a prisoner has no choice." 

"No one is allowed freedom on board here, 
unless he has taken the oaths of allegiance to 
the captain and our laws," he answered, look- 
ing steadfastly at me. 

"Nothing could induce me to take one or 
the other," I exclaimed; "so I suppose I shall 
remain a prisoner till you release me, or die." 

He seemed to take my answer very calmly; 
and this encouraged me to proceed and to 
make an effort to obtain my freedom. 

"Captain Hawk," I said, "you have been 
very kind to me; and though I should have 
been willing to sail with you before I knew 
the character of your vessel, I am now most 
anxious to be put on shore; and, if you will 
liberate me, I will swear most solemnly not 
to betray you, or any of those who sail with 
you." 

"We do not trust to the oaths of those who 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 201 

do not join us," he answered. "For your 
own sake, I must make you take part in the 
next capture we attempt, or else my people 
will begin to suspect you are a mere coward, 
and even I shall be unable to protect you." 

"I am no coward, Captain Hawk, and that 
I will prove any time that I have an oppor- 
tunity; but I do not choose to commit murder 
or robbery," I answered, in the same bold tone 
in which I usually spoke. 

"You use harsh terms, youngster, to one 
who could any moment order you to be hove 
to the sharks," exclaimed the pirate. "How- 
ever, I do not quarrel with you for speaking 
your mind; I once thought as you do, but cus- 
tom has altered my ideas." 

"Then why do you wish me to do what you 
know I must consider wrong?" I asked. 

"Because I have a liking for you, and want 
a lad of spirit and education to be my com- 
panion," he replied. "The old hands I can- 
not trust — they are as likely to turn against 
me as to serve me, while you, I know, will be 
faithful for a while, till you get hardened like 
the rest, and then " 



202 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"And then," interrupting him, I said, "what 
would you do with me? Give me as food for 
the sharks, I suppose?" 

"No, lad, I should let you live to fight your 
own way in the world, with a charge to keep 
out of my path," he replied. "But that is 
not what I wanted to talk to you about. You 
must come on deck and join in capturing the 
vessel we are in chase of, for we think she is 
likely to prove a prize of value." 

I am sorry to say that so heartily tired was 
I of remaining shut up in the cabin, that I was 
glad of being allowed, on any terms, to see 
what was going forward on deck. 

On this, I suspect, the pirate calculated. 
He well knew the force of the French 
proverb, "It is but the first step to crime 
which is difficult." He wished me to take 
that first step, being assured that I should then 
be his. 

I thought, when I went on deck, that noth- 
ing would tempt me to take any part in the 
acts of the pirates, even as far as in assisting 
to navigate the vessel; but there is something 
so exciting in the chase of a vessel, that it 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 203 

is difficult not to wish to come up with her. 
At first I stood merely looking on; but the 
breeze freshened and rather headed us, and 
Hawk issued an order to flatten in the fore- 
and-aft sails, and to brace up the yards. I 
flew instinctively to the sheets, and found my- 
self pulling and hauling with the rest. 

The captain made no remark; nor did he 
appear even to notice what I had done. The 
wind was about south, and the chase was to 
the eastward of us, standing on a bowline. 
She was a brig of some size, and at the first 
glance I thought she was a man-of-war; but 
Hawk pronounced her to be a Spaniard, and 
homeward bound from Cuba. On hearing 
this, of course, I knew that we must be some- 
where to the eastward of that place, and this 
was the first intimation I had had of our 
whereabouts. 

The chase had not observed us, or, if he 
had, seemed not to be at all suspicious of our 
character, for he was standing on under easy 
sail, as if in no way in a hurry to escape 
from us. 

Hawk, who was usually so calm and almost 



2o 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

apathetic, walked the deck full of energy and 
excitement. Every order he gave was uttered 
in a sharp, quick tone, which demanded in- 
stant obedience. Every one partook of the 
same spirit; and there appeared to be as much 
discipline and regularity as on board a man- 
of-war. Even the most lawless vagabonds 
find this necessary for the attainment of their 
ends and their own preservation. 

We rapidly came up with the chase, and 
were within about three miles of her when she 
began, it seemed, to suspect that all was not 
right, for sail after sail was set on her, till 
she could carry no more, while she edged away 
a little from her course, so as to allow every 
one of them to draw properly. This threw 
us completely to windward, for we held on 
the same course as before, and she appeared 
at first to be recovering her lost ground. In 
a short time we also kept away with the wind 
almost a-beam, a point on which the Foam 
sailed her best. 

"Huzza, my lads!" exclaimed Hawk, "in a 
short time the chase will be ours; and if I mis- 
take not, plenty of good doubloons into the 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 205 

bargain, if you can but make our craft walk 
along faster." 

"Huzza!" shouted the English and Ameri- 
can part of the crew, in which the people of 
other nations joined in their peculiar cries. 

The brig once more hauled her wind, and 
this brought us soon nearer again to her. 

Hawk thought it was because the captain 
saw indications of a shift of wind, and hoped 
to be placed well to windward. He was scru- 
tinising her narrowly through a telescope. 
"She does not show any guns," he remarked; 
"but it is no reason that she has not got them. 
Get all ready for action, in case she should 
prove a Tartar." 

I scarcely knew what I was about; but I 
confess I not only assisted to hand up powder 
and shot, but to load and run out the guns. 

Neither of us made any further variation 
in our course; but the chase was, it appeared, 
a very slow sailer, for we so rapidly came up 
with her that five hours after she was seen she 
was within range of our guns. She did not 
fire, nor did we; for, supposing her to be un- 
armed, Hawk was anxious to capture her 



206 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

without in any way injuring her hull or cargo. 
We sailed on, therefore, as if we were en- 
gaged in a friendly race; and no one by look- 
ing at us could have supposed that we were 
deadly enemies. 

We were getting very near to the chase, and 
with our telescopes could almost distinguish 
the faces of those on board, when I observed 
Abraham Jones, the new second mate of the 
Foam, hurry aft to the captain with a face 
pale as a ghost. Hawk laughed, and shook 
his head incredulously. Jones seemed, from 
his manner, to be insisting that he was right, 
for I did not hear what he said. Still we 
stood on till the chase was within the dis- 
tance of half the range of our guns. I was 
again aft. "Hoist our bunting to make him 
show his colors," I heard Hawk say; "and 
give him a shot from our bow-chaser to hurry 
him." 

Directly afterwards a broad red flag, with- 
out any device, was run up at our peak, and 
with a spout of smoke a shot went flying over 
the water, and with a crash which made the 
splinters fly it struck the dark sides of the brig. 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 207 

The effect was instantaneous, and such as was 
little expected by the pirates. 

A flag was run up to the gaff of the brig; 
but instead of the Spanish ensign, the stars 
and stripes of the United States were dis- 
played; and the ports being opened as if by 
magic, eight guns were run out, and, luffing 
up, she let fly her broadside right into our 
bows. The shot tore up our decks, and 
knocked away part of our starboard bulwarks, 
killing two of the people, and wounding three 
more, but without injuring our rigging. Then 
I saw what sort of men I was mingling with. 
I cannot describe the fierce rage which took 
possession of them, the oaths and execrations 
to which they gave vent. The bodies of the 
two men who were killed, while yet warm, 
were thrown overboard directly they were 
found to be dead, and the wounded were 
dragged below, and left without a surgeon 
or any one to attend on them. Instead of the 
timid Spanish merchantman we expected to 
get alongside, we found that this vessel was 
no other than a United States man-of-war 
sent to look out for the Foam — in fact, that 



208 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

we had caught a Tartar. Hawk, to do him 
justice, stood undaunted, his energies rising 
with the occasion. Keeping away a little, so 
as to get our broadside to bear, we fired in 
return, and the guns being planted high, some 
of the running rigging was cut away, and 
her foretop-mast was struck, and must have 
been badly wounded, for some hands instantly 
were seen going aloft to fix it. 

"About ship, my lads — down with the 
helm; and while she's in stays, give Uncle 
Sam our larboard broadside." 

The sails of the schooner were well full; 
she quickly came round, and before the brig 
could follow our example, we sent the shot 
from our whole broadside flying among her 
rigging. A loud shout of exultation from our 
pirate crew showed their satisfaction at the 
damage they had done; for several spars and 
sails, with blocks and ropes, were seen coming 
down by the run on deck. 

"Now, my lads, let's up stick away," cried 
Hawk. "They thought, doubtless, that they 
were sure of us; but we'll show them that the 
Foam is not to be caught so easily." 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 209 

All hands who could be spared from the 
guns, and I among the rest, flew to their sta- 
tions to trim sails; the yards were braced 
sharp up, and with her head to the southwest 
the Foam stood away on a bowline from her 
powerful antagonist. We were not to escape, 
however, with impunity; for as soon as the 
brig's crew had somewhat recovered from the 
confusion into which the damage done by our 
shot had thrown them, such guns as could be 
brought to bear were fired at us with no bad 
aim. One struck our tafTrail, and another 
killed a man on the forecastle; but our rig- 
ging escaped. Twice the brig missed stays in 
attempting to come about from so much of 
her head-sail having been cut away; and this, 
as she all the time was sailing one way and 
we the other, contributed much to increase 
our distance. The breeze also favoured us 
further by freshening, making it more diffi- 
cult to the enemy to repair damages, while, 
as we were unhurt, it sent us along all the 
more rapidly. The Americans were not the 
people to take the treatment we had given 
them with calmness, especially as we were so 



210 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

much the smaller, and had less force. At last, 
at a third trial, the brig came about, while she 
continued without cessation firing at us. Not 
much damage was done, though our sails had 
daylight made through them several times by 
her shot, and another man was killed ; but this 
casualty the pirates seemed to make light of; 
it was the fortune of war, and might happen 
every instant to any of us. The bodies, with 
scant examination, except to discover whether 
there was money in their pockets, or rings in 
their ears or on their fingers, were thrown 
overboard without a prayer or sigh. As the 
shot came whistling over us, they laughed 
when they saw me bobbing down my head in 
the hope of avoiding them. I had no fancy, 
I own, to be shot by people against whom I 
had not the slightest enmity, nor whom I in 
any way wished to injure. 

We soon found that the brig-of-war, in- 
stead of being a slow sailer, was remarkably 
fast, and that, while we were in chase of her, 
she must, by towing a sail overboard, or some 
other manceuvre, have deadened her way on 
purpose to allow us to come up with her. We 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 211 

had now, therefore, to put the schooner's best 
leg foremost to get away from her, even be- 
fore she had got all her gear aloft again. To 
try and do her further damage a gun was got 
over the taffrail, and a constant fire was kept 
up from it as fast as it could be loaded. 

I was standing in the waist, with the black 
Mark Anthony near me. "Well, Massa Pe- 
ter, if de brig catch we, we all be hung; how 
you like dat?" he asked, with a broad grin, 
which made him look far from pleasing. 

"I should be sorry to see any of those who 
have treated me with kindness hung, or other- 
wise injured," I replied. 

"See! ha, ha! but how you like feel being 
hung, Massa Peter?" he said again, grinning 
more horribly than before. 

"Why, I have no fear of that sort, Mr. 
Mark, I can assure you," I replied; though I 
confess the disagreeable idea did come across 
me that I might possibly not be able to prove 
that I was not a pirate should we be captured. 
"I have had nothing to do with any of the 
acts committed by the crew of this vessel." 

"Ho, ho, ho!" he exclaimed, "den you no 



212 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

pull and haul, and help work de guns which 
fire at de ship of war; me swear me saw you 
myself. Ho, ho, ho!" 

The black's laughter sounded almost de- 
moniacal in my ears. He spoke the truth, too : 
I had indeed helped to work the guns; and 
on the strength of it, like a tempter to evil, 
he was endeavouring to persuade me, in his 
rough way, to join the pirates. I did not think 
it prudent to show that I clearly saw his aim; 
but I resolved still to remain firm. 

The evening was now drawing on, and for- 
tunately the breeze did not drop. I confess 
that I was just as anxious to escape from our 
pursuer as any pirate on board; scarcely more 
so, perhaps, than the new mate, who had 
guessed the character of the brig, and had no 
fancy for having his career cut short so soon. 

The brig did not fire at us, as to do so she 
would have have had to yaw and thus lose 
ground, while we continued to ply her with 
our long gun. Her fore-topsail could not be 
set while the mast was being fixed. An at- 
tempt was now made to hoist it ; but the breeze 
at that instant strengthened, away went the 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 213 

mast, rigging and sail together. A loud cheer 
arose from our decks; a parting shot was 
given her from our gun, and in two hours 
darkness hid her from our sight. 



Ill 



I DREAMED all night that I was in the hands 
of the Americans, with a rope round my neck, 
and about to be run up at the yard-arm — I 
felt the practical inconvenience of associat- 
ing with bad company. As soon as I awoke I 
went on deck, for Hawk no longer placed any 
restrictions on my movements. I fully ex- 
pected to see the brig-of-war in chase of us. 
I own I felt somewhat relieved when, on look- 
ing round, not a sail of any description was 
to be seen, and the schooner was still bowling 
along with a brisk breeze on a westerly course. 
Towards evening we sighted land, towards 
which our course was altered. We ran on, 
and by marks which I could not distinguish, 
steered between coral banks, till on a sudden 
I found that we were entering a lagoon, with 
trees towering on either side high above our 

214 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 215 

topmast heads. The wind dropped completely 
as we got within the passage, and the boats 
were sent ahead to tow. Hawk ordered me 
into one of them, and I saw no reason to dis- 
obey; indeed, I felt that it would be very 
foolish not to do my best to please him in mat- 
ters unconnected with piracy. 

The sky was clear overhead, and the stars 
shone down and were reflected, as in a mir- 
ror, on the otherwise ink-black water of the 
lagoon. As we pulled ahead, we appeared to 
be passing through a narrow canal, with lofty 
impenetrable walls on either side, while in 
the centre rose before our eyes the phantom- 
like outline of the schooner, her topmast 
heads and rigging alone being seen against 
the sky above the dark shadows of the trees. 

The splash of our oars was the only sound 
which broke the dead silence which reigned 
in this sequestered spot; while the only light, 
except from the glittering stars above us, was 
from the phosphorescent flashes as the blades 
entered the water, and the golden drops again 
fell into their parent element. On looking 
on that gloomy surface, it seemed as imp rob- 



216 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

able that anything so bright should come 
from it as that sparks of real fire should be 
emitted from the hard flint stone. Mat Ha- 
gan, an Irishman, who pulled the bow oar in 
my boat, declared that our oars were throw- 
ing up to the sky again the reflection of the 
stars, which had no business to be there at all. 

We pulled on for about half-an-hour, and 
then a sort of bay, or bight, appearing on one 
side, we brought the vessel into it, and moored 
her stem and stern fast to the trees. There 
she lay so completely concealed that any one 
passing up the canal could not by any possi- 
bility have seen her, even in broad daylight. 

Here we lay for several days, repairing 
damages and refitting the ship. Where we 
were I could not learn from any one on board; 
but I suspected that we were in one of the 
numberless keys among the Bahama or Lu- 
caya Islands; and I had afterwards reason to 
know that I was right. 

Some of the booty taken by the pirates was 
landed, as, on account of the marks on the 
bales and other signs, it was likely to lead to 
their detection should they attempt to dispose 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 217 

of it in its present form. Some of the things 
were hid away; the others, after undergoing 
various operations, were re-shipped with such 
perfectly different marks, that it would have 
been impossible to detect them. Cunning and 
trickery seemed to be now the means taken by 
the pirates to carry on their operations, in- 
stead of the bold, daring way in which, as I 
had read, their predecessors formerly plun- 
dered the honest trader. 

Hawk ordered me to lend a hand in refit- 
ting the schooner, so I made myself as useful 
as my knowledge would allow. I had begun 
to entertain a hope of escaping when the pi- 
rates were off their guard, and fancied that 
I had become reconciled to my lot. It was 
against my nature to be in any way treacher- 
ous; and I almost certainly would not have 
injured Hawk, on account of the kindness 
with which he had treated me; but, at the 
same time, I did not feel that I was acting 
wrongly in concealing from him my wish to 
regain the liberty he had deprived me of. 

One morning, while the yards were still 
on deck and the sails unbent, notice was given 



218 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

from our lookout at the mouth of the lagoon 
that a sail was in sight, about two miles in 
the offing. 

"What is she?" asked Hawk of the mes- 
senger. 

"A barque, deeply laden, captain," replied 
the man, who was an old pirate. "To my 
mind she looks as if she would not make a bad 
prize, if we could get hold of her; and, as 
the wind is dropping, and it will be some time 
before the sea-breeze sets in, I think there will 
not be much difficulty in doing that." 

The captain was pleased at his follower's 
suggestion; indeed, he would have risked the 
loss of his authority had he refused to attend 
to it. The men were ordered to knock off 
work, and to get the boats ready, while those 
who were away in the interior of the little 
island were recalled to lend their assistance. 
Every one was instantly all life and animation. 
With the prospect of making a prize, even the 
most sluggish were aroused. 

There were three boats, which were soon 
launched; and oars, arms, and provisions were 
placed in them. To my surprise, Hawk gave 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 219 

the command of them to Abraham Jones, he 
himself remaining to take charge of the 
schooner. From what I heard, I found that 
the pirates expected no difficulty or danger in 
making the capture. 

I, of course, hoped that I should have noth- 
ing to do in the matter. What was my horror, 
then, when Hawk ordered me into the boats, 
and my old enemy, for I cannot call him my 
friend, Mark Anthony, was told to keep me 
company! I do not know whether this was 
Hawk's wish, or the desire of the men, who 
did not like to trust me till I had been guilty 
of some piratical act. At first I hesitated 
about obeying; but I soon saw, by the angry 
looks which were cast at me, that I was doing 
so at the peril of my life; and at the same in- 
stant it struck me that if I went I might by 
some means or other obtain my liberty. 

The boats were one long-boat, which pulled 
eight oars, and carried in all sixteen men, and 
two large swift-rowing gigs. Tones took com- 
mand of the long-boat, and I was in one of 
the gigs. In silence we left the vessel on our 
nefarious errand — in silence we pulled down 



220 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the canal with steady and slow strokes, for 
while the wind held there was no hurry. 
When we got close to the mouth of the har- 
bour, the boat I was in was sent out to recon- 
noitre. 

The stranger was apparently beating up 
along shore, towards which her head was now 
pointed, those who directed her movements 
little aware of the danger which threatened 
them. After waiting a short time, during 
which she had drawn nearer to us, her sails 
began to flap against the masts, and the ripple 
which had been playing on the water disap- 
peared altogether. With the last breath of 
wind she was put about, and attempted to 
stand off shore; but she was very soon left in 
what is called the doldrums, namely without 
steerage-way. 

When the officer of the boat I was in saw 
the barque becalmed, he gave the signal to 
our consort, and without further delay we 
three pulled out together towards her. 

For some time no one on board appeared 
to have observed us. At last some one saw us, 
and two or three glasses were directed towards 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 221 

us; but we did not seem to have created any 
alarm or even suspicion among them. Thus 
we were enabled to approach without any 
preparation having been made to prevent our 
getting on board. When it was too late, prob- 
ably from the eagerness with which they saw 
us dash alongside, they suspected that all was 
not right, and a few of the hands ran to the 
arm-chest, while others attempted to slew 
round one of the two guns the barque carried, 
and to point it down at the boats. Before 
they could do so, we were scrambling up her 
sides. 

"Oh, oh, Massa Peter, you hurry enough 
now to turn pirate, when you tink something 
to be got," shouted Mark Anthony, as he saw 
my eagerness to be one of the first on deck. 

The cutter boarded on one side, the two 
gigs on the other — one on the fore-rigging, the 
other at the mizzen-chains — so that the crew 
had to separate into three divisions to oppose 
us. The crew thus weakened, the people from 
the long-boat gained easily a footing on deck. 
They drove the crew aft, who were now at- 
tacked in the rear by the party from one of 



222 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the gigs. I was in the foremost gig, and we 
had no one to oppose us. The only defence 
made was by the master, his mates, and two 
of the crew, who had secured cutlasses. They 
stood together on the larboard side of the 
poop, and boldly refused to yield up the ship 
till they knew the authority of those attack- 
ing her. 

The capture of the barque proved an easy 
victory for the pirates, and soon her officers 
and crews were bound to the masts and rig- 
ging, while the ship was being searched. 

The boats had made two trips to the shore 
before it was dark, taking much of the lighter 
part of the cargo. The removal of the rest, 
Captain Hawk decided, should be left until 
the following day. Most of the pirates re- 
turned to the schooner for the night, leaving 
the prisoners, with the third mate and a small 
guard, including myself, in charge of them. 

"I leave you on board of the prize, Peter," 
Captain Hawk said, "because, though you are 
young and untried, yet you have more of hu- 
manity about you than the rest of my follow- 
ers, and I can place more confidence in you. 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 223 

I must, however, have you take the oath of our 
band, to the effect that you will not desert 
the ship, betray a comrade, or separate from 
the rest till our compact is dissolved by mutual 
agreement." 

I thought, as seriously and as rapidly as I 
could, whether such an oath would not only 
preclude my own escape, but prevent me from 
assisting the prisoners. "It must effectually 
bind me to the pirates, and probably cause 
my death; but if I refuse to do it, I shall lose 
all chance of aiding them, so for their sakes 
I will do as I am asked." I told Hawk I 
would no no longer refuse to take the oath 
he proposed. 

"Then swear," he said, repeating it, while 
a number of the pirates gathered round. 

"I swear," I said, in a voice which must, 
I thought, betray emotion. The pirates 
cheered and welcomed me as a brother among 
them. 

I did not go to sleep, but walked the deck, 
considering what I should do. The third 
mate, who was now commanding officer, was 
a surly ruffian, and it was with difficulty that 



224 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

I gained permission from him to carry some 
food and water to the prisoners. 

I had found several bottles of fine old Ja- 
maica rum in the cabin, and I conceived the 
idea that with the help of these I might be 
able to liberate the prisoners, who could then 
run the vessel out of reach of the pirates be- 
fore morning. I brought one of the bottles on 
deck, and poured out a stiff tumblerfull for 
the mate. It appealed so to him that he asked 
for another, and then for more. Soon he fell 
asleep, as I had expected. I secured more of 
the rum, and soon the rest of the pirates were 
in the same condition as the mate. 

It did not take long to release the captain 
and crew, and in a few minutes the previous 
order of things was reversed, and the pirates 
were bound and floating helplessly in a boat by 
themselves. The black was the only one 
aroused, and he saw me bound like himself. 

It was broad daylight before any of the peo- 
ple came to their senses. I looked over the 
gunnel: the barque was nowhere to be seen. 

The wind was off the shore, and the boat 
was drifting out to sea, driven by a current 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 225 

which set to the southward. The black recog- 
nized the mouth of the lagoon, which he 
knew well, but which I could not make out. 
Some sculls were found in the boat, and we 
began to pull towards the shore. 

My companions soon grew weary, and be- 
gan to blame me for having given them the 
rum. They had begun to threaten me, when 
a brig was seen coming rapidly towards us. 

The black jumped up, and watched her for 
some time, then, "De brig we fought de oder 
day!" he exclaimed. 

We tried to invent a plausible tale of hav- 
ing been cast adrift, but before it was thor- 
oughly concocted the brig was alongside us, 
and we were hauled on board. 

We were immediately taken before the cap- 
tain and his officers, who stood on the quarter 
deck. 

"What brought you here?" he demanded of 
the mate, who told him the tale which had 
just been invented. But the appearance and 
manner of my companions had raised suspi- 
cions in the minds of the American officer 
which were not easily allayed. 



226 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The brig, I found, was the Neptune, Cap- 
tain Faith. She was a remarkably fine ves- 
sel, carrying nineteen guns, and had been sent 
out expressly to look for the Foam. Captain 
Faith and his officers were burning to re- 
venge the insult offered them shortly before 
by the schooner, and it appeared that 
they had gained knowledge of her where- 
abouts. 

The attention of all on board was now 
taken up by the manning of the boats which 
were to be sent on an expedition in search of 
the pirates. Four of the boats were sent away, 
to which was added the one in which I had 
been taken, so that there was a pretty strong 
flotilla engaged. I saw them enter the mouth 
of the lagoon, and in about half-an-hour the 
roar of big guns and musketry was heard re- 
verberating among the rocks. There was a 
pause, and then a loud, fearful explosion, and 
the masts and spars of the pirate schooner 
could be seen rising in the air. 

Before long one boat was seen to emerge 
from among trees, and then another and an- 
other, until all appeared. They pulled to the 



CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 227 

brig, and with them were the prisoners, mostly 
wounded. 

Such was the end of the Foam. Sail was 
made to the northward, and I found that our 
destination was Charlestown, to which port 
the brig belonged, and where my trial and 
that of the other prisoners would take place. 
Soon after the Neptune had dropped her an- 
chor we were taken on shore and placed in 
jail. 

Before many days our trial commenced. 
The fate of the pirates was easily settled; all 
were adjudged to be hanged at the yard-arm 
of the brig which had captured us. I was 
given my liberty, provided I would volunteer 
to serve for two years on board a ship of war 
just then about to sail, and which was short 
of hands. 



THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 

NELSON'S last signal: "England expects 
every man will do his duty," was received 
throughout the fleet with a shout of answer- 
ing acclamation, made sublime by the spirit 
which it breathed, and the feeling which it 
expressed. "Now," said Lord Nelson, "I can 
do no more. We must trust to the great Dis- 
poser of all events, and the justice of our 
cause. I thank God for this great opportu- 
nity of doing my duty." 

He wore that day, as usual, his Admiral's 
frock-coat, bearing on the left breast four 
stars, of the different orders with which he 
was invested. Ornaments which rendered him 
so conspicuous a mark for the enemy were be- 
held with ominous apprehensions by his offi- 
cers. It was known that there were riflemen 

on board the French ships; and it could not 

228 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 229 

be doubted but that his life would be particu- 
larly aimed at. They communicated their 
fears to each other; and the surgeon, Mr. 
Beatty, spoke to the chaplain, Dr. Scott, and 
to Mr. Scott, the public secretary, desiring 
that some person would entreat him to change 
his dress, or cover the stars; but they knew 
that such a request would highly displease 
him. "In honour I gained them," he had 
said, when such a thing had been hinted to 
him formerly, "and in your honour I will die 
with them." Mr. Beatty, however, would not 
have been deterred by any fear of exciting 
displeasure from speaking to him himself 
upon a subject upon which the weal of Eng- 
land, as well as the life of Nelson, was con- 
cerned — but he was ordered from the deck 
before he could find an opportunity. This 
was a point upon which Nelson's officers knew 
that it was hopeless to remonstrate or reason 
with him; but both Blackwood and his own 
captain, Hardy, represented to him how ad- 
vantageous to the fleet it would be to keep 
out of action as long as possible; and he con- 
sented at last to let the Leviathan and the 



2 3 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Temeraire, which were sailing abreast of the 
Victory, be ordered to pass ahead. Yet even 
here the last infirmity of this noble mind was 
indulged; for these ships could not pass ahead 
if the Victory continued to carry all her sail; 
and so far was Nelson from shortening sail, 
that it was evident that he took pleasure in 
pressing on, and rendering it impossible for 
them to obey his own orders. A long swell 
was setting into the Bay of Cadiz: our ships, 
crowding all sail, moved majestically before 
it, with light winds from the southwest. The 
sun shone on the sails of the enemy; and their 
well-formed line, with their numerous three- 
deckers, made an appearance which any as- 
sailants would have thought formidable; but 
the British sailors only admired the beauty 
and the splendour of the spectacle; and, in 
full confidence of winning what they saw, re- 
marked to each other what a fine sight yonder 
ships would make at Spithead. 

The French Admiral, from the Bucentaure, 
beheld the new manner in which his enemy 
was advancing — Nelson and Collingwood 
each leading in line; and, pointing them out 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 231 

to his officers, he is said to have exclaimed 
that such conduct could not fail to be suc- 
cessful. Yet Villeneuve had made his own 
dispositions with the utmost skill, and the 
fleets under his command waited for the at- 
tack with perfect coolness. Ten minutes be- 
fore twelve they opened fire. Eight or nine 
of the ships immediately ahead of the Vic- 
tory and across her bows fired single guns at 
her to ascertain whether she was yet within 
their range. As soon as Nelson perceived 
that their shot passed over him, he desired 
Blackwood, and Captain Prowse, of the Sirius, 
to repair to their respective frigates; and, on 
their way, to tell all the captains of the line- 
of battle ships that he depended on their ex- 
ertions; and that, if by the prescribed mode 
of attack they found it impracticable to get 
into action immediately, they might adopt 
whatever course they thought best, provided it 
led them quickly and closely alongside an en- 
emy. As they were standing on the front 
poop, Blackwood took him by the hand, say- 
ing he hoped soon to return and find him in 
possession of twenty prizes. He replied, 



232 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"God bless you, Blackwood, I shall never see 
you again!" 

Nelson's column was steered about two 
points more to the north than Collingwood's, 
in order to cut off the enemy's escape into 
Cadiz: the lee line, therefore, was first en- 
gaged. "See," cried Nelson, pointing to the 
Royal Sovereign, as she steered right for the 
centre of the enemy's line, cut through it 
astern of the Santa Ana, three-decker, and en- 
gaged her at the muzzle of her guns on the 
starboard side; "see how that noble fellow, 
Collingwood, carries his ship into action!" 
Collingwood, delighted at being first in the 
head of the fire, and knowing the feelings of 
his commander and old friend, turned to his 
captain, and exclaimed: "Rotherham, what 
would Nelson give to be here?" Both these 
brave officers, perhaps, at this moment, 
thought of Nelson with gratitude, for a cir- 
cumstance which had occurred on the pre- 
ceding day. Admiral Collingwood, with 
some of the captains, having gone on board 
the Victory to receive instructions, Nelson in- 
quired of him where his captain was ; and was 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 233 

told, in reply, that they were not upon good 
terms with each other. "Terms!" said Nel- 
son, "good terms with each other!" Imme- 
diately he sent a boat for Captain Rother- 
ham; led him, as soon as he arrived, to Col- 
lingwood, and saying: "Look; yonder are the 
enemy!" bade them shake hands like English- 
men. 

The enemy continued to fire a gun at a time 
at the Victory, till they saw that a shot had 
passed through her main-top-gallant sail; 
then they opened their broadsides, aiming 
chiefly at her rigging, in the hope of disabling 
her before she could close with them. Nel- 
son, as usual, had hoisted several flags, lest 
one should be shot away. The enemy showed 
no colours till late in the action, when they 
began to feel the necessity of having them to 
strike. For this reason the Santissima Trini- 
dad, Nelson's old acquaintance, as he used to 
call her, was distinguishable only by her four 
decks; and to the bow of this opponent he or- 
dered the Victory to be steered. Meantime, 
an incessant raking fire was kept up upon the 
Victory. The Admiral's secretary was one of 



234 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the first who fell ; he was killed by a cannon- 
shot while conversing with Hardy. Captain 
Adair, of the marines, with the help of a 
sailor, endeavoured to remove the body from 
Nelson's sight, who had a great regard for 
Mr. Scott; but he anxiously asked, "Is that 
poor Scott that's gone?" and being informed 
that it was indeed so, exclaimed, "Poor fel- 
low!" Presently a double-headed shot struck 
a party of marines, who were drawn up on 
the poop, and killed eight of them: Upon 
which Nelson immediately desired Captain 
Adair to disperse his men round the ship that 
they might not suffer so much from being to- 
gether. A few minutes afterwards a shot 
struck the fore-brace bits on the quarter-deck, 
and passed between Nelson and Hardy, a 
splinter from the bit tearing off Hardy's 
buckle, and bruising his foot. Both stopped 
and looked anxiously at each other: Each 
supposed the other to be wounded. Nelson 
then smiled, , and said: "This is too warm 
work, Hardy, to last long." 

The Victory had not yet returned a single 
gun; fifty of her men had been by this time 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 235 

killed or wounded, and her main-top-mast, 
with all her studding-sails and their booms, 
shot away. Nelson declared that, in all his 
battles, he had seen nothing which had sur- 
passed the cool courage of his crew on this 
occasion. At four minutes after twelve she 
opened her fire from both sides of her deck. 
It was not possible to break the enemy's line 
without running on board one of their ships; 
Hardy informed him of this, and asked him 
which he would prefer. Nelson replied: 
"Take your choice, Hardy, it does not signify 
much." The master was ordered to put the 
helm to port, and the Victory ran on board 
the Redoutable, just as her tiller ropes were 
shot away. The French ship received her with 
a broadside: then instantly let down her 
lower-deck ports, for fear of being boarded 
through them, and never afterwards fired a 
great gun during the action. Her tops, like 
those of all the enemy's ships, were filled with 
riflemen. Nelson never placed musketry in 
his tops; he had a strong dislike to the prac- 
tice: not merely because it endangers setting 
fire to the sails, but also because it is a mur- 



236 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

derous sort of warfare by which individuals 
may suffer, and a commander now and then 
be picked off, but which never can decide the 
fate of a general engagement. 

Captain Harvey, in the Temeraire, fell on 
board the Redoutable on the other side. An- 
other enemy was in like manner on board the 
Temeraire, so that these four ships formed as 
compact a tier as if they had been moored 
together, their heads lying all the same way. 
The lieutenants of the Victory, seeing this, de- 
pressed their guns on the middle and lower 
decks, and fired with a diminished charge, lest 
the shot should pass through and injure the 
Temeraire. And because there was danger 
that the Redoutable misfit take fire from the 
lower-deck guns, the muzzles of which 
touched her side when they were run out, the 
fireman of each gun stood ready with a 
bucket of water; which, as soon as the gun 
was discharged, he dashed it into the smoke 
made by the shot. An incessant fire was kept 
up from the Victory from both sides; her lar- 
board guns playing upon the Bucentaure, and 
the huge Santissima Trinidad. 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. 237 

It had been part of Nelson's prayer that 
the British fleet might be distinguished by hu- 
manity in the victory he expected. Setting an 
example himself, he twice gave orders to cease 
firing upon the Redontable, supposing that she 
had struck, because her great guns were si- 
lent; for, as she carried no flag, there was no 
means of instantly ascertaining the fact. From 
this ship, which he had thus twice spared, he 
received his death. A ball fired from her 
mizzen-top, which, in the then situation of 
the two vessels, was not more than fifteen 
yards from that part of the deck where he 
was standing, struck the epaulette on his left 
shoulder, about a quarter after one, just in the 
heat of action. He fell upon his face, on the 
spot which was covered by his poor secretary's 
blood. Hardy, who was a few steps from him, 
turning around, saw three men raising him up. 
"They have done for me at last, Hardy!" said 
he. "I hope not," cried Hardy. "Yes," he 
replied; "my backbone is shot through!" Yet 
even now, not for a moment losing his pres- 
ence of mind, he observed, as they were carry- 
ing him down the ladder, that the tiller-ropes, 



238 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

which had been shot away, were not yet re- 
placed, and ordered that new ones should be 
rove immediately. Then, that he might not 
be seen by the crew, he took out his hand- 
kerchief and covered his face and his stars. 
Plad he but concealed these badges of hon- 
our from the enemy, England, perhaps, would 
not have had cause to receive with sorrow the 
news of the battle of Trafalgar. The cockpit 
was crowded with wounded and dying men; 
over whose bodies he was with some difficulty 
conveyed, and laid upon a pallet in the mid- 
shipman's berth. It was soon perceived, 
upon examination, that the wound was mor- 
tal. This, however, was concealed from all 
except Captain Hardy, the chaplain, and the 
medical attendants. Pie himself being cer- 
tain, from the sensation in his back, and the 
gush of blood he felt momentarily within his 
breast, that no human care could avail him, in- 
sisted that the surgeon should leave him, and 
attend to those to whom he might be useful. 
"For," said he, "you can do nothing for me." 
All that could be done was to fan him with 
paper and frequently to give him lemonade 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAP 239 

to alleviate his intense thirst. He was in great 
pain, and expressed much anxiety for the 
event of the action, which now began to de- 
clare itself. As often as a ship struck, the 
crew of the Victory hurrahed; and at every 
hurrah a visible expression of joy gleamed in 
the eyes, and marked the countenance of the 
dying hero. But he became impatient to see 
Captain Hardy; and as that officer, though 
often sent for, could not leave the deck, Nel- 
son feared that some fatal cause prevented 
him, and repeatedly cried: "Will no one 
bring Hardy to me? He must be killed! He 
is surely dead!" An hour and ten minutes 
elapsed from the time when Nelson received 
his wound before Hardy could come to him. 
They shook hands in silence; Hardy in vain 
struggling to suppress the feelings of that 
most painful and yet sublimest moment. 
"Well, Hardy," said Nelson, "how goes the 
day with us?" "Very well," replied Hardy; 
"ten ships have struck, but five of the van 
have tacked, and show an intention to bear 
down upon the Victory. I have called two or 
three of our fresh ships round, and have no 



2 4 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

doubt of giving them a drubbing." "I hope," 
said Nelson, "none of our ships have struck?" 
Hardy answered, "There was no fear of that." 
Then, and not till then, Nelson spoke of him- 
self. "I am a dead man, Hardy," said he; 
"I am going fast; it will be all over with me 
soon. Come nearer to me. Let my dear Lady 
Hamilton have my hair and all other things 
belonging to me." Hardy observed that he 
hoped Mr. Beatty could yet hold out some 
prospect of life. "Oh, no!" he replied; "it 
is impossible, my back is shot through. Beatty 
will tell you so." Captain Hardy then, once 
more, shook hands with him; and with a heart 
almost bursting, hastened on deck. 

By this time all feeling below the breast 
was gone; and Nelson, having made the sur- 
geon ascertain this, said to him: "You know 
I am gone. I know it. I feel something ris- 
ing in my breast" (putting his hand on his 
left side) "which tells me so." And upon 
Beatty's inquiring whether his pain was very 
great, he replied : "So great that he wished 
he were dead. Yet," said he, in a lower voice, 
"one would like to live a little longer, too!" 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 241 

And after a few minutes, in the same under- 
tone, he added: "What would become of 
poor Lady Hamilton if she knew my situa- 
tion!" Next to his country, she occupied his 
thoughts. Captain Hardy, some fifty minutes 
after he had left the cockpit, returned, and 
again taking the hand of his dying friend and 
commander, congratulated him on having 
gained a complete victory. How many of 
the enemy were taken he did not know, as it 
was impossible to perceive them distinctly, 
but fourteen or fifteen at least. "That's well !" 
cried Nelson; "but I bargained for twenty." 
And then, in a stronger voice, he said: "An- 
chor, Hardy; anchor." Hardy, upon this, 
hinted that Admiral Collingwood would take 
upon himself the direction of affairs. "Not 
while I live, Hardy," said the dying Nelson, 
ineffectually endeavoring to raise himself 
from his bed; "do you anchor." His previous 
order for preparing to anchor had shown how 
clearly he foresaw the necessity of this. Pres- 
ently, calling Hardy back, he said to him, in 
a low voice: "Don't throw me overboard"; 
and he desired that he might be buried by his 



242 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

parents, unless it should please the king to 
order otherwise. Then, reverting to private 
feelings, "Take care of my dear Lady Hamil- 
ton, Hardy; take care of poor Lady Hamilton. 
Kiss me, Hardy," said he. Hardy knelt down 
and kissed his cheek; and Nelson said : "Now 
I am satisfied. Thank God, I have done my 
duty!" Hardy stood over him in silence for 
a moment or two, then knelt again and kissed 
his forehead. "Who is that?" said Nelson; 
and being informed, he replied: "God bless 
you, Hardy!" And Hardy then left him for- 
ever. 

Nelson now desired to be turned upon his 
right side, and said: "I wish I had not left 
the deck; for I shall soon be gone." Death 
was, indeed, fast approaching. He said to the 
chaplain: "Doctor, I have not been a great 
sinner"; and after a short pause, "Remember 
that I leave Lady Hamilton, and my daughter 
Horatia, as a legacy to my country." His ar- 
ticulation now became difficult; but he was 
distinctly heard to say: "Thank God I have 
done my duty!" These words he repeatedly 
pronounced; and they were the last words 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 243 

which he uttered. He expired at thirty min- 
utes past four, three hours and a quarter after 
he had received his wound. 

Within a quarter of an hour after Nelson 
was wounded above fifty of the Victory's men 
fell by the enemy's musketry. They, however, 
on their part, were not idle; and it was not 
long before there were only two Frenchmen 
left alive in the mizzen-top of the Redout- 
able. One of them was the man who had 
given the fatal wound; he did not live to 
boast of what he had done. An old quarter- 
master had seen him fire, and easily recog- 
nized him, because he wore a glazed cocked- 
hat and a white frock. This quarter-master 
and two midshipmen, Mr. Collingwood and 
Mr. Pollard, were the only persons left in the 
Victory's poop; the two midshipmen kept fir- 
ing at the top, and he supplied them with car- 
tridges. One of the Frenchmen, attempting 
to make his escape down the rigging, was shot 
by Mr. Pollard, and fell on the poop. But 
the old quarter-master, as he cried out, 
"That's he, that's he!" and pointed at the 
other, who was coming forward to fire again, 



244 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

received a shot in his mouth, and fell dead. 
Both the midshipmen then fired at the same 
time, and the other fellow dropped in the top. 
When they took possession of the prize, they 
went into the mizzen-top and found him dead ; 
with one ball through his head, and another 
through his breast. 

The Redoutable struck within twenty min- 
utes after the fatal shot had been fired from 
her. During that time she had been twice on 
fire, in her forechains and in her forecastle. 
The French, as they had done in other bat- 
tles, made use in this of fire-balls and other 
combustibles; implements of destruction 
which other nations, from a sense of honour 
and humanity, have laid aside; which add to 
the sufferings of the wounded, without de- 
termining the issue of the combat; which none 
but the cruel would employ; and which never 
can be successful against the brave. Once 
they succeeded in setting fire, from the Re- 
doutable, to some ropes and canvas on the 
Victory's booms. The cry ran through the 
ship, and reached the cockpit; but even this 
dreadful cry produced no confusion; the men 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 245 

displayed that perfect self-possession in dan- 
ger by which English seamen are character- 
ised; they extinguished the flames on board 
their own ship, and then hastened to extin- 
guish them in the enemy, by throwing buckets 
of water from the gangway. When the Re- 
doutable had struck, it was not practicable 
to board her from the Victory, for, though the 
two ships touched, the upper works of both 
fell in so much that there was a great space 
between their gangways; and she could not be 
boarded from the lower or middle decks, be- 
cause her ports were down. Some of our 
men went to Lieutenant Quilliam, and of- 
fered to swim under her bows, and get up 
there; but it was thought unfit to hazard brave 
lives in this manner. 

What our men would have done from gal- 
lantry, some of the crew of the Santissima 
Trinidad did to save themselves. Unable to 
stand the tremendous fire of the Victory, 
whose larboard guns played against this great 
four-decker, and not knowing how else to 
escape them, nor where else to betake them- 
selves for protection, many of them leaped 



246 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

overboard, and swam to the Victory, and were 
actually helped up her sides by the English 
during the action. The Spaniards began the 
battle with less vivacity than their unworthy 
allies, but continued it with greater firmness. 
The Argonaula and Bahama were defended 
till they had each lost about four hundred 
men; the San Juan Nepomuceno lost three 
hundred and fifty. * * * 

Once, amidst his sufferings, Nelson had ex- 
pressed a wish that he were dead; but imme- 
diately the spirit subdued the pains of death, 
and he wished to live a little longer; doubt- 
less, that he might hear the completion of the 
victory that he had seen so gloriously begun. 
That consolation, that joy, that triumph w r as 
afforded him. He lived to know that the vic- 
tory was decisive; and the last guns that were 
fired at the flying enemy were heard a minute 
or two before he expired. The ships which 
were thus flying were four of the enemy's van, 
all French, under Rear-Admiral Dumanoir. 
They had borne no part in the action; and 
now, when they were seeking safety in flight, 
they fired not only into the Victory and Royal 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 247 

Sovereign as they passed, but poured their 
broadsides into the captured Spanish ships; 
and they were seen to back their top-sails, for 
the purpose of firing with more precision. 
The indignation of the Spaniards at this de- 
testable cruelty from their allies, for whom 
they had fought so bravely, and so profusely 
bled, may well be conceived. It was such, 
that when, two days after the action, seven of 
the ships which had escaped into Cadiz came 
out, in hopes of retaking some of the disabled 
prizes, the prisoners in the Argonauta, in a 
body, offered their services to the British 
prize-master to man the guns against any of 
the French ships: saying, that if a Spanish 
ship came alongside they would quietly go 
below; but they requested that they might be 
allowed to fight the French, in resentment for 
the murderous usage which they had suffered 
at their hands. Such was their earnestness, 
and such the implicit confidence which could 
be placed in Spanish honour, that the offer 
was accepted; and they were actually sta- 
tioned at the lower-deck guns. Dumanoir 
and his squadron were not more fortunate 



248 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

than the fleet from whose destruction they 
fled; they fell in with Sir Richard Strachan, 
who was cruising for the Rochfort squadron, 
and were all taken. In the better days of 
France, if such a crime could have been com- 
mitted, it would have received an exemplary 
punishment from the French Government; 
under Bonaparte it was sure of impunity, and, 
perhaps, might be thought deserving of re- 
ward. But, if the Spanish court had been 
independent, it would have become us to have 
delivered Dumanoir and his captains up to 
Spain, that they might have been brought to 
trial, and hanged in sight of the Spanish fleet. 
he total British loss in the battle of Trafal- 
gar amounted to 1,690. Nineteen of the en- 
emy struck — unhappily the fleet did not an- 
chor, as Nelson, almost with his dying breath, 
had enjoined — a gale came on from the south- 
west; some of the prizes went down, some 
went on shore; one effected its escape into Ca- 
diz; others were destroyed; four only were 
saved, and those by the greatest exertions. 
The wounded Spaniards were sent ashore, an 
assurance being given that they should not 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 249 

serve till regularly exchanged; and the Span- 
iards, with a generous feeling which would 
not, perhaps, have been found in any other 
people, offered the use of their hospitals for 
our wounded, pledging the honour of Spain 
that they should be carefully attended there. 
When the storm, after the action, drove some 
of the prizes upon the coast, they declared 
that the English, who were thus thrown into 
their hands, should not be considered as pris- 
oners of war; and the Spanish soldiers gave 
up their own beds to their shipwrecked ene- 
mies. The Spanish Vice-Admiral, Alava, 
died of his wounds. Villeneuve was sent to 
England, and permitted to return to France. 
The French Government says that he de- 
stroyed himself on the way to Paris, dreading 
the consequences of a court-martial; but there 
is every reason to believe that the tyrant, who 
never acknowledged the loss of the battle of 
Trafalgar, added Villeneuve to the numerous 
victims of his murderous policy. 



THE GREAT ARMADA 

"The Lord High Admiral of England, send- 
ing a pinnace before, called the Defiance, an- 
nounced war by discharging her ordnance; 
and presently approaching within musket- 
shot, with much thundering out of his own 
ship, called the Arkroyall (alias the Tri- 
umph), first set upon the Admiral's, as he 
thought, of the Spaniards (but it was Alfonso 
de Leon's ship) . Soon after Drake, Hawkins, 
and Frobisher played stoutly with their ord- 
nance on the hindmost squadron, which was 
commanded by Recalde." The Spaniards 
soon discovered the superior "nimbleness of 
the English ships"; and Recalde's squadron, 
finding that they are getting more than they 
give, in spite of his endeavours, hurry for- 
ward to join the rest of the fleet. Medina, 

the Admiral, finding his ships scattering fast, 

250 



THE GREAT ARMADA 251 

gathers them into a half-moon; and the Ar- 
mada tries to keep solemn way forward, like 
a stately herd of buffaloes, who march on 
across the prairie, disdaining to notice the 
wolves which snarl around their track. But 
in vain. These are no wolves, but cunning 
hunters, swiftly horsed, and keenly armed, and 
who will "shamefully shuffle" (to use Drake's 
own expression) that vast herd from the Liz- 
ard to Portland, from Portland to Calais 
Roads; and who, even in this short two hours' 
fight, have made many a Spaniard question 
the boasted invincibleness of this Armada. 

One of the four great galliasses is already 
riddled with shot, to the great disarrange- 
ment of her "pulpits, chapels," and friars 
therein assistant. The fleet has to close round 
her, or Drake and Hawkins will sink her; in 
effecting which manceuvre, the "principal gal- 
leon of Seville," in which are Pedro de Val- 
dez and a host of blue-blooded Dons, runs 
foul of her neighbour, carries away her fore- 
mast, and is, in spite of Spanish chivalry, left 
to her fate. This does not look like victory, 
certainly. But courage! though Valdez be 



252 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

left behind, "our Lady," and the saints, and 
the Bull Coena Domini (dictated by one 
whom I dare not name here) are with them 
still, and it were blasphemous to doubt. But 
in the meanwhile, if they have fared no better 
than this against a third of the Plymouth 
fleet, how will they fare when those forty be- 
lated ships, which are already whitening the 
blue between them and the Mewstone enter 
the scene to play their part? 

So ends the first day; not an English ship, 
hardly a man, is hurt. It has destroyed for- 
ever, in English minds, the prestige of boast- 
ful Spain. It has justified utterly the policy 
which Lord Howard has adopted by Ral- 
eigh's and Drake's advice of keeping up a run- 
ning fight, instead of "clapping ships to- 
gether without consideration," in which case, 
says Raleigh, "he had been lost if he had 
not been better advised than a great many 
malignant fools were, who found fault with 
his demeanour." 

Be that as it may, so ends the first day, in 
which Amyas and the other Bideford ships 
have been right busy for two hours knock- 



THE GREAT ARMADA 253 

ing holes in a huge galleon which carries on 
her poop a maiden with a wheel, and bears 
the name of St. Catharina. She had a coat- 
of-arms on the flag at her sprit, probably those 
of the commandant of soldiers; but they were 
shot away early in the fight, so Amyas can- 
not tell whether they were De Soto's or not. 
Nevertheless, there is plenty of time for pri- 
vate revenge; and Amyas called off at last by 
the Admiral's signal, goes to bed and sleeps 
soundly. 

But ere he has been in his hammock an 
hour, he is awakened by Cary's coming down 
to ask for orders. 

"We were to follow Drake's lantern, 
Amyas; but where it is I can't see, unless he 
has been taken up aloft there among the stars, 
for a new Drakium Sidus." 

Amyas turns out grumbling: but no lantern 
is to be seen; only a sudden explosion and 
a great fire on board some Spaniard, which is 
gradually got under, while they have to lie-to 
the whole night long, with nearly the whole 
fleet. 

The next morning finds them off Torbay; 



254 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

and Amyas in a pinnace, bringing a letter 
from Drake, which (saving the spelling, 
which was somewhat arbitrary, like most 
men's in those days) ran somewhat thus: 

"Dear Lad, — I have been wool-gathering 
all night after five great hulks, which the Pix- 
ies transfigured overnight into galleons, and 
this morning again into German merchant- 
men. I let them go with my blessing; and 
coming back fell in (God be thanked) with 
Valdez's great galleon; and in it good booty, 
which the Dons his fellows had left behind, 
like faithful and valiant comrades, and the 
Lord Howard had let slip past him, think- 
ing her deserted by the crew. I have sent to 
Darmouth a sight of noblemen and gentle- 
men, maybe a half hundred; and Valdez him- 
self, who, when I sent my pinnace aboard, 
must needs stand on his punctilios, and pro- 
pound conditions. I answered him I had no 
time to talk with him; if he would needs die, 
then I was the very man for him; if he would 
live, then buena querra. He sends again, 
boasting that he was Don Pedro Valdez, and 



THE GREAT ARMADA 255 

that it stood not with his honour, and that of 
the Dons in his company. I replied, that for 
my part, I was Francis Drake, and my 
matches burning. Whereon he finds in my 
name salve for the wounds of his own, and 
comes aboard, kissing my fist, with Spanish 
lies of holding himself fortunate that he had 
fallen into the hands of Drake, and much 
more, which he might have kept to cool his 
porridge. But I have much news from him 
(for he is a leaky tub) ; and among others, 
this, that your Don Guzman is aboard of the 
Sta. Catharina, commandant of her soldiery, 
and has his arms flying at her sprit, beside 
Sta. Catharina at the poop, which is a maiden 
with a wheel, and is a lofty built ship of three 
tier of ordnance, from which God preserve 
you, and send you like luck with 

"Your deare Friend and Admiral, 

"F. Drake." 

"She sails in this squadron of Recalde. The 
Armada was minded to smoke us out of Ply- 
mouth; and God's grace it was they tried not: 
but their orders from home are too strait, and 



256 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

so the slaves fight like a bull in a tether, no 
farther than their rope, finding thus the devil 
a hard master, so do most in the end. They 
cannot compass our quick handling and tack- 
ing, and take us for very witches. So far so 
good, and better to come. You and I know 
the length of their foot of old. Time and 
light will kill any hare, and they will find it 
a long way from Start to Dunkirk." 

"The Admiral is in a gracious humour, 
Leigh, to have vouchsafed you so long a let- 
ter." 

"St. Catharine? Why, that was the galleon 
we hammered all yesterday," said Amyas, 
stamping on the deck. 

"Of course it was. Well, we shall find her 
again, doubt not. That cunning old Drake! 
How he has contrived to line his own pockets, 
even though he had to keep the whole fleet 
waiting for him." 

"He has given the Lord High Admiral the 
dor, at all events." 

Amyas answered by a growl, for he wor- 
shipped Drake, and was not too just to Pa- 
pists. 



THE GREAT ARMADA 257 

The fleet did not find Lord Howard till 
night fell; he and Lord Sheffield had been 
holding on steadfastly the whole night after 
the Spanish lanterns with two ships only. At 
least there was no doubt now of the loyalty 
of English Roman Catholics, and, indeed, 
throughout the fight, the Howards showed 
(as if to wipe out the slurs which had been 
cast on their loyalty by fanatics) a desperate 
courage, which might have thrust less pru- 
dent men into destruction, but led them only 
to victory. Soon a large Spaniard drifts by, 
deserted and partly burnt. Some of the men 
are for leaving their place to board her; but 
Amyas stoutly refuses. He has "come out to 
fight and not to plunder; so let the nearest 
ship to her luck without grudging." They 
pass on, and the men pull long faces when 
they see the galleon snapped up by their next 
neighbour, and towed off to Weymouth, where 
she proves to be the ship of Miguel 
d'Oquenda, the Vice- Admiral, which they saw 
last night, all but blown up by some desperate 
Netherland gunner, who, being "misused," 
was minded to pay off old scores on his tyrants. 



258 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

And so ends the second day; while the Port- 
land rises higher and clearer every hour. The 
next morning finds them off the island. Will 
they try Portsmouth, though they have spared 
Plymouth? The wind has shifted to the north, 
and blows clear and cool off the white-walled 
downs of Weymouth Bay. The Spaniards 
turn and face the English. They must mean 
to stand off and on until the wind shall change, 
and then to try for the Needles. At least, 
they shall have some work to do before they 
round Purbeck Isle. 

The English go to the western again; but 
it is only to return on the opposite tack; and 
now begins a series of manoeuvres, each fleet 
trying to get the wind of the other; but the 
struggle does not last long, and ere noon the 
English fleet have slipped close-hauled be- 
tween the Armada and the land, and are com- 
ing down upon them right before the wind. 

And now begins a fight most fierce and 
fell. "And fight they did confusedly, and 
with variable fortunes; while on the one hand 
the English manfully rescued the ships of 
London, which were hemmed in by the Span- 



THE GREAT ARMADA 259 

iards; and on the other side the Spaniards as 
stoutly delivered Recalde, being in danger. 
Never was heard such thundering of ord- 
nance on both sides, which, notwithstanding 
from the Spaniards, flew for the most part 
over the English without harm. Only Cock, 
an Englishman" (whom Prince claims, I hope 
rightfully, as a worthy of Devon), "died with 
honour in the midst of the enemies in a small 
ship of his. For the English ships, being far 
the lesser, charged the enemy with marvel- 
ous agility; and, having discharged their 
broadsides, drew forth presently into the deep, 
and levelled their shot directly, without miss- 
ing, at those great unwieldy Spanish ships. 
This was the most furious and bloody skirm- 
ish of all (though ending only, it seems, in 
the capture of a great Venetian and some 
small craft), in which the Lord Admiral 
fighting amidst his enemies' fleet, and seeing 
one of his captains afar off (Fenner by name, 
he who fought the seven Portugals at the 
Azores), cried, 'O George, what dost thou? 
Wilt thou now frustrate my hope and opinion 
conceived of thee? Wilt thou forsake me 



260 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

now?' With which words he, being enflamed, 
approached, and did the part of a most vali- 
ant captain; as, indeed, did all the rest." 

Night falls upon the floating volcano; and 
morning finds them far past Purbeck, with 
the white peak of Freshwater ahead; and 
pouring out past the Needles, ship after ship, 
to join the gallant chase. For now from all 
havens, in vessels fitted out at their own ex- 
pense, flock the chivalry of England; the 
Lords Oxford, Northumberland, and Cum- 
berland, Pallavicin, Brooke, Carew, Raleigh, 
and Blunt, and many other honourable names, 
"as to a set field, where immortal fame and 
honour was to be attained." Spain had staked 
her chivalry in that mighty cast; not a noble 
house of Arragon or Castile but has lent a 
brother or a son — and shall mourn the loss of 
one: and England's gentlemen will measure 
their strength once for all against the Cava- 
liers of Spain. Lord Howard has sent for- 
ward light craft into Portsmouth for ammu- 
nition, but they will scarce return tonight, for 
the wind falls dead, and all the evening the 
'two fleets drift helpless with the tide, and 



THE GREAT ARMADA 261 

shout idle defiance at each other with trum- 
pet, fife and drum. 

The sun goes down upon a glassy sea, and 
rises on a glassy sea again. But what day 
is this? The twenty-fifth, St. James's day, sa- 
cred to the patron saint of Spain. Shall noth- 
ing be attempted in his honour by those whose 
forefathers have so often seen him with their 
bodily eyes, charging in their van upon his 
snow-white steed, and scattering Paynims 
with celestial lance? He might have sent 
them, certainly, a favouring breeze; perhaps, 
he only means to try their faith; at least the 
galleys shall attack; and in trjeJr van three of 
the great galliasses (the fourth lies half-crip- 
pled among the fleet) thrash the sea to foam 
with three hundred oars apiece; and see, not 
St. James leading them to victory, but Lord 
Howard's Triumph, his brother's Lion, South- 
well's Elizabeth Jonas, Lord Sheffield's Bear, 
Barker's Victory, and George Fenner's Leices- 
ter, towed stoutly out to meet them with such 
salvoes of chain-shot, smashing oars, and cut- 
ting rigging, that had not the wind sprung up 
again toward noon, and the Spanish fleet come 



262 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

up to rescue them, they had shared the fate 
of Valdez and the Biscayan. And now the 
fight becomes general. Frobisher beats down 
the Spanish admiral's mainmast; and, at- 
tacked himself by Mexia and Recalde, is res- 
cued in his turn; "while after that day" (so 
sickened were they of the English gunnery) 
"no galliasse would adventure to fight." 

And so, with variable fortune, the fight 
thunders on the livelong afternoon, beneath 
the virgin cliffs of Freshwater; while myriad 
sea-fowl rise screaming up from every ledge, 
and spot with their black wings the snow- 
white wall of chalk; over the dizzy edge, and 
forgets the wheatear fluttering in his snare, 
while he gazes trembling upon glimpses of 
tall masts and gorgeous flags, piercing at times 
the league-broad veil of a sulphur-smoke 
which welters far below. 

So fares St. James's day, as Baal's did on 
Carmel in old time. "Either he is talking, 
or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey; or 
peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awak- 
ened." At least, the only fire by which he has 
answered his votaries has been that of Eng- 



THE GREAT ARMADA 263 

lish cannon : and the Armada, "gathering into 
a roundel," will fight no more, but make the 
best of its way to Calais, where perhaps the 
Guises' faction may have a French force 
ready to assist them, and then to Dunkirk, to 
join with Parma and the great flotilla of the 
Netherlands. 

So on, before "a fair Etesian gale," which 
follows clear and bright out of the south- 
south-west, guide forward the two great 
fleets, past Brighton cliffs and Beachy Plead, 
Hastings and Dungeness. Is it a battle or a 
triumph? For by sea Lord Howard, instead 
of fighting is rewarding; and after Lord 
Thomas Howard, Lord Sheffield, Townsend, 
and Frobisher have received at his hands that 
knighthood, which was then more honourable 
than a peerage, old Admiral Hawkins kneels 
and rises up Sir John, and, shaking his shoul- 
ders after the accolade, observes to the repre- 
sentative of majesty that his "old woman will 
hardly know herself again, when folks call her 
'My Lady/ " 

Lord Henry Seymore has brought Lord 
Howard a letter of command from Eliza- 



264 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

beth's self; and Drake has been carrying it 
out so busily all that Sunday long that by two 
o'clock on the Monday morning, eight fire- 
ships "besmeared with wildfire, brimstone, 
pitch, and resin, and all their ordnance 
charged with bullets and with stones," are 
stealing down the wind straight for the Span- 
ish fleet, guided by two valiant men of De- 
von, Young and Prowse. (Let their names 
live long in the land!) The ships are fired, 
the men of Devon steal back, and in a mo- 
ment more the heaven is red with glare from 
Dover Cliffs to Gravelines Tower; and weary- 
hearted Belgian boors far away inland, plun- 
dered and dragooned for many a hideous year, 
leap from their beds, and fancy (and not so 
far wrongly, either) that the day of judg- 
ment is come at last, to end their woes, and 
hurl down vengeance on their tyrants. 

And then breaks forth one of those dis- 
graceful panics, which so often follow over- 
weening presumption; and shrieks, oaths, 
prayers, and reproaches, make night hideous. 
There are those too on board who recollect 
well enough Jenebilli's fire-ships at Antwerp 



THE GREAT ARMADA 265 

three years before, and the wreck which they 
made of Parma's bridge across the Scheldt. 
If these should be like them! And cutting all 
cables, hoisting any sails, the Invincible Ar- 
mada goes lumbering wildly out to sea, every 
ship foul of her neighbour. 

The largest of the four galliasses loses her 
rudder, and drifts helpless to and fro, hinder- 
ing and confusing. The duke, having (so the 
Spaniards say) weighed his anchor deliber- 
ately instead of leaving it behind him, runs 
in again after a while, and fires a signal for 
return, but his truant sheep are deaf to the 
shepherd's pipe, and, swearing and praying by 
turns, he runs up Channel towards Gravelines, 
picking up stragglers on his way who are 
struggling as they best can among the flats 
and shallows : but Drake and Fenner have 
arrived as soon as he. When Monday's sun 
rises on the quaint old castle and muddy dykes 
of Gravelines town, the thunder of the cannon 
recommences, and is not hushed till night. 
Drake can hang coolly enough in the rear to 
plunder when he thinks fit; but when the bat- 
tle needs it none can fight more fiercely 



266 THE SAPPHIPvE STORY BOOK 

among the foremost; and there is need now, 
if ever. That Armada must never be allowed 
to re-form. If it does, its left wing may yet 
keep the English at bay, while its right drives 
off the blockading Hollanders from Dunkirk 
port, and sets Parma and his flotilla free to 
join them, and to sail in doubled strength 
across the mouth of the Thames. 

So Drake weighed anchor, and away up 
Channel with all his squadron the moment 
that he saw the Spanish fleet come up; and 
with him Fenner, burning to redeem the 
honour which, indeed, he had never lost; and 
ere Fenton, Beeston, Crosse, Ryman, and 
Lord Southwell can join them, the Devon 
ships have been worrying the Spaniards for 
two hours into confusion worse confounded. 

But what is that heavy firing behind them? 
Alas for the great galliasse! She lies, like a 
huge stranded whale, upon the sands where 
now stands Calais pier; and Amyas Preston, 
the future hero of La Guayra, is pounding 
her into submission, while a fleet of hoys and 
drublers look on and help, as jackals might the 
lion, 



THE GREAT ARMADA 267 

Soon, on the southwest horizon, loom up 
larger and larger, two mighty ships, and be- 
hind them sail on sail. As they near a shout 
greets the Triumph and the Bear; and on and 
in the Lord High Admiral glides stately into 
the thickest of the fight. 

True, we have still but some three-and- 
twenty ships which can cope at all with some 
ninety of the Spaniards; but we have dash, 
and daring, and the inspiration of utter need. 
Now, or never, must the mighty struggle be 
ended. We worried them off Portland; we 
must rend them in pieces now; and in rushes 
ship after ship, to smash her broadsides 
through and through the wooden castles, 
"sometimes not a pike's length asunder," and 
then out again to reload, and give place 
meanwhile to another. The smaller are fight- 
ing with all sails set; the few larger, who, 
once in, are careless about coming out again, 
fight with topsails loose, and their main and 
foreyards close down on deck, to prevent be- 
ing boarded. The Duke, Oquenda, and Re- 
calde, having with much ado got clear of the 
shallows, bear the brunt of the fight to sea- 



268 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

ward; but in vain. The day goes against 
them more and more, as it runs on. Seymore 
and Winter have battered the great San Phil- 
lip into a wreck; her masts are gone by the 
board; Pimentelli in the San Matthew comes 
up to take the mastiffs off the fainting bull, 
and finds them fastened on him instead; but 
the Evangelist, though smaller, is stouter than 
the Deacon, and of all the shot poured into 
him, no twenty, "lackt him thorough." His 
masts are tottering; but sink or strike he will 
not. 

"Go ahead, and pound his tough hide, 
Leigh," roars Drake off the poop of his ship, 
while he hammers away at one of the great 
galliasses. "What right has he to keep us all 
waiting?" 

Amyas slips in as best he can between 
Drake and Winter; as he passes, he shouts to 
his ancient enemy: 

"We are with you, sir; all friends to-day!" 
and slipping round Winter's bows, he pours 
his broadside into those of the San Matthew, 
and then glides on to re-load; but not to re- 
turn. For not a pistol-shot to leeward, wor- 



THE GREAT ARMADA 269 

ried by three or four small craft, lies an im- 
mense galleon; and on her poop — can he be- 
lieve his eyes for joy? — the maiden and the 
wheel which he has sought so long! 

"There he is!" shouts Amyas, springing to 
the starboard side of the ship. The men, too, 
have already caught sight of that hated sign; 
a cheer of fury bursts from every throat. 

"Steady, men!" says Amyas, in a suppressed 
voice. "Not a shot! Re-load, and be ready; 
I must speak with him first." And silent as 
the grave, amid the infernal din, the Ven- 
geance glides up to the Spaniard's quarter. 

"Don Guzman Maria Magdalena Soto- 
mayer de Soto!" shouts Amyas, from the miz- 
zen rigging, loud and clear amid the roar. 

He has not called in vain. Fearless and 
graceful as ever, the tall, mail-clad figure of 
his foe leaps up upon the poop railing, twenty 
feet above Amyas's head, and shouts through 
his vizor: 

"At your service, sir, whosoever you may 
be." 

A dozen muskets and arrows were levelled 
at him; but Amyas frowns them down. "No 



270 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

man strikes him but I. Spare him, if you 
kill every other soul on board. Don Guz- 
man! I am Captain Sir Amyas Leigh; I pro- 
claim you a traitor and ravisher, and chal- 
lenge you once more to single combat, when 
and where you will." 

"You are welcome to come on board me, 
sir," answers the Spaniard in a clear, quiet 
tone; "bringing with you this answer, that you 
lie in your throat"; and lingering a moment 
out of bravado to arrange his scarf, he steps 
slowly down behind the bulwarks. 

"Coward!" shouted Amyas at the top of his 
voice. 

The Spaniard reappears instantly. "Why 
that name, Senor, of all others?" asks he in a 
cool, stern voice. 

"Because we call men cowards in England 
who leave their wives to be burned alive by 
priests." 

The moment the words had passed Amyas's 
lips, he felt that they were cruel and unjust. 
But it was too late to recall them. 

"For that word, sirrah, you hang at my 
yard-arm, if Saint Mary gives me grace." 



THE GREAT ARMADA 271 

"See that your halter be a silken one, then," 
laughed Amyas, "for I am just dubbed 
knight." And he stepped down as a storm of 
bullets rang through the rigging round his 
head; the Spaniards are not as punctilious 
as he. 

"Fire!" His ordnance crash through the 
sternworks of the Spaniard; and then he sails 
onward, while her balls go humming harm- 
lessly through his rigging. 

Half-an-hour has passed of wild noise and 
fury; three times has the Vengeance, as a dol- 
phin might, sailed clean round and round the 
St. Catharina, pouring in broadside after 
broadside, till the guns are leaping to the 
deck-beams with their own heat, and the 
Spaniard's sides are slit and spotted in a hun- 
dred places. And yet, so high has been his 
fire in return, and so strong the deck defences 
of the Vengeance, that a few spars broken, 
and two or three men wounded by musketry 
are all her loss. But still the Spaniard en- 
dures, magnificent as ever; it is the battle of 
the thresher and the whale; the end is cer- 
tain, but the work is long. 



272 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

"Can I help you, Captain Leigh?" asked 
Lord Henry Seymore, as he passes within 
oar's length of him, to attack a ship ahead. 
"The San Matthew has had his dinner, and 
is gone on to Medina to ask for a digestive 
to it." 

"I thank your Lordship; but this is my pri- 
vate quarrel, of which I spoke. But if your 
Lordship could lend me powder " 

"Would that I could! But so, I fear, says 
every other gentleman in the fleet." 

A puff of wind clears away the sulphurous 
veil for a moment; the sea is clear of ships 
towards the land; the Spanish fleet are mov- 
ing again up Channel, Medina bringing up 
the rear; only some two miles to their right 
hand the vast hull of the San Philip is drift- 
ing up the shore with the tide, and somewhat 
nearer the San Matthew is hard at work at 
her pumps. They can see the white stream 
of water pouring down her side. 

"Go in, my Lord, and have the pair," 
shouts Amyas. 

"No, sir! Forward is a Seymore's cry. We 
will leave them to pay the Flushingers' ex- 



THE GREAT ARMADA 273 

penses." And on went Lord Henry, and on 
shore went the San Philip at Ostend, to be 
plundered by the Flushingers; while the San 
Matthew, whose captain, "on a hault cour- 
age," had refused to save himself and his gen- 
tlemen on board Medina's ship, went blun- 
dering miserably into the hungry mouths of 
Captain Peter Vanderduess and four other va- 
liant Dutchmen, who, like prudent men of 
Holland, contrived to keep the galleon afloat 
till they had emptied her, and then "hung up 
her banner in the great church of Leyden, 
being of such a length, that being fastened to 
the roof, it reached unto the very ground." 

But in the meanwhile, long ere the sun had 
set, comes down the darkness of the thunder- 
storm, attracted, as to a volcano's mouth, to 
that vast mass of sulphur-smoke which cloaks 
the sea for many a mile; and heaven's artil- 
lery above makes answer to man's below. But 
still, through smoke and rain, Amyas clings 
to his prey. She too has seen the northward 
movement of the Spanish fleet, and sets her 
topsails: Amyas calls to the men to fire high, 
and cripple her rigging; but in vain; for 



274 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

three or four belated galleys, having forced 
their way at last over the shallows, come flash- 
ing and sputtering up to the combatants, and 
take his fire off the galleon. Amyas grinds 
his teeth, and would fain hustle into the thick 
of the press once more, in spite of the galley's 
beaks. 

"Mostheroical Captain," says Gary, pulling 
a long face, "if we do, we are stove and sunk 
in five minutes; not to mention that Yeo says 
he has not twenty rounds of great cartridge 
left." 

So, surely and silent, the Vengeance sheers 
off, but keeps as near as she can to the little 
squadron, all through the night of rain and 
thunder which follows. Next morning the 
sun rises on a clear sky, with a strong west- 
northwest breeze, and all hearts are asking 
what the day will bring forth. 

They are long past Dunkirk now; the Ger- 
man Ocean is opening before them. The 
Spaniards sorely battered, and lessened in 
numbers have, during the night, regained 
some sort of order. The English hang on 
their skirts a mile or two behind. They have 



THE GREAT ARMADA 275 

no ammunition, and must wait for more. To 
Amyas's great disgust, the St. Catharina has 
rejoined her fellow during the night. 

"Never mind," says Cary; "she can neither 
dive nor fly, and as long as she is above water 
we What is the admiral about?" 

He is signalling Lord Henry Seymore and 
his squadron. Soon they tack, and come down 
the wind for the coast of Flanders. Parma 
must be blockaded still, and the Hollanders 
are likely to be too busy with their plunder 
to do it effectually. Suddenly there is a stir 
in the Spanish fleet. Medina and the rear- 
most ships turn upon the English. What can 
it mean? Will they offer battle once more? 
If so, it were best to get out of their way, 
for we have nothing wherewith to fight them. 
So the English lie close to the wind. They 
will let them pass, and return to their old 
tactics of following and harrassing. 

"Good-bye to Seymore," says Cary, "if he 
is caught between them and Parma's flotilla. 
They are going to Dunkirk." 

"Impossible! They will not have water 
enough to reach his light craft. Here, comes 



276 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

a big ship right upon us! Give him all you 
have left, lads, and if he will fight us, lay 
him alongside, and die boarding." 

They gave him what they had, and hulled 
him with every shot; but his huge side stood 
silent as the grave. He had not wherewithal 
to return the compliment. 

"As I live, he is cutting loose the foot of 
his mainsail! The villain means to run." 

"There go the rest of them! Victoria!" 
shouted Cary as, one after the other, every 
Spaniard set all the sail he could. 

There was silence for a few minutes 
throughout the English fleet; and then cheer 
upon cheer of triumph rent the skies. It was 
over! The Spaniard had refused battle, and, 
thinking only of safety, was pressing down 
toward the Straits again. The Invincible Ar- 
mada had cast away its name, and England 
was saved. 

"But he will never get there, sir," said old 
Yeo, who had come upon deck to murmur his 
Nunc Domine, and gaze upon that sight be- 
yond all human faith or hope : "Never, never 
will he weather the Flanders shore, against 



THE GREAT ARMADA 277 

such a breeze as is coming up. Look to the 
eye of the wind, sir, and see how the Lord is 
fighting for His people!" 

Yes, down it came, fresher and stiffer every 
minute out of the grey northwest, as it does 
so often after a thunderstorm; and the sea 
began to rise high and whiter under the 
"Claro Aquilone," till the Spaniards were 
fain to take in all spare canvas, and lie to as 
best they could; while the English fleet, lying 
to also, awaited an event which was in God's 
hands and not in theirs. 

"They will be all ashore on Zealand before 
the afternoon," murmured Amyas; "and I 
have lost my labour. Oh, for powder, pow- 
der, powder! to go in and finish it at once!" 

"Oh, sir," said Yeo, "don't murmur against 
the Lord on the very day of His mercies. It 
is hard, to be sure, but His will be done." 

"Could we not borrow powder from Drake 
there?" 

"Look at the sea, sir! 

And, indeed, the sea was far too rough for 
any such attempt. The Spaniards neared 
and neared the fatal dunes, which fringed the 



278 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

shore for many a dreary mile; and Amyas had 
to wait many dreary hours, growling like a 
dog who has had the bone snatched out of 
his mouth till the day wore on; when, behold, 
the wind began to fall as rapidly as it had 
risen. A savage joy rose in Amyas's heart. 

"They are safe! Safe for us! Who will 
go and beg us powder? A cartridge here and 
a cartridge there — anything to set to work 
again!" 

Cary volunteered, and returned in a couple 
of hours with some quantity; but he was on 
board again only just in time, for the south- 
wester had recovered the mastery of the skies, 
and Spaniards and English were moving 
away; but this time northward. Whither, 
now? To Scotland? Amyas knew not, and 
cared not, provided he was in the company of 
Don Guzman de Soto. 

The Armada was defeated and England 
saved. 



WRECK OF THE DRAKE 

Among those men who have performed the 
most gallant and self-devoted deeds in the 
most simple and natural way, we should espe- 
cially reckon captains in the navy. With 
them it is an understood rule that, happen 
what may, the commanding officer is to be 
the last to secure his own life — the last to 
leave the ship in extremity. Many and many 
a brave life has thus been given, but the spirit 
nurtured by such examples is worth infinitely 
more than ever the continued service of the 
persons concerned could have been. And for 
themselves — this world is not all, and have 
we not read, that "He who will save his life 
will lose it, and he who will lose his life shall 
save it?" 

The Newfoundland coast is a peculiarly 
279 



280 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

dangerous one, from the dense fogs that hang 
over the water, caused by the warm waters 
of the gulf-stream, which, rushing up from 
the equator, here come in contact with the 
cold currents from the pole, and send up such 
heavy vapour that day can sometimes scarcely 
be discerned from night, and even at little 
more than arm's length objects cannot be dis- 
tinguished, while from without the mist looks 
like a thick sheer precipice of snow. 

In such a fearful fog, on the morning of 
the 20th of June, 1822, the small schooner 
Drake struck suddenly upon a rock, and al- 
most immediately fell over on her side, the 
waves breaking over her. Her commander, 
Captain Baker, ordered her masts to be cut 
away, in hopes of lightening her so that she 
might right herself, but in vain. One boat 
was washed away, another upset as soon as she 
was launched, and there only remained the 
small boat called the captain's gig. The ship 
was fast breaking up, and the only hope was 
that the crew might reach a small rock, the 
point of which could be seen above the waves 
at a distance that the fog made it difficult to 



WRECK OF THE DRAKE 281 

calculate, but it was hoped might not be too 
great. A man named Lennard seized a rope, 
and sprang into the sea, but the current was 
too strong for him; he was carried away in 
an opposite direction, and was obliged to be 
dragged on board again. Then the boatswain, 
whose name was Turner, volunteered to make 
the attempt in the gig, taking a rope fastened 
round his body. The crew cheered him after 
the gallant fashion of British seamen, though 
they were all hanging on by ropes to the ship, 
with the sea breaking over them, and threat- 
ening every moment to dash the vessel to 
pieces. Anxiously they watched Turner in his 
boat, as he made his way within a few feet of 
the rock. There it was lifted high and higher 
by a huge wave, then hurled down on the 
rock and shattered to pieces; but the brave 
boatswain was safe, contriving to keep his hold 
of the rope and to scramble upon the stone. 
Another great wave, almost immediately 
after, heaved up the remains of the ship, and 
dashed her down close to this rock of safety, 
and Captain Baker, giving up the hope of 
saving her, commanded the crew to leave her 



282 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

and make their way to it. For the first time 
he met. with disobedience. With one voice 
they refused to leave the wreck unless they saw 
him before them in safety. Calmly he re- 
newed his orders, saying that his life was the 
last and least consideration; and they were 
obliged to obey, leaving the ship in as orderly 
a manner as if they were going ashore in har- 
bour. But they were so benumbed with cold 
that many were unable to climb the rock, and 
were swept off by the waves, among them the 
lieutenant. Captain Baker last of all joined 
his crew, and it was then discovered that they 
were at no great distance from the land, but 
that the tide was rising, and the rock on which 
they stood would assuredly be covered at high 
water, and the heavy mist and lonely coast 
gave scarcely a hope that help would come 
ere the slowly rising waters must devour 
them. 

Still there was no murmur, and again the 
gallant boatswain, who still held the rope, 
volunteered to make an effort to save his com- 
rades. With a few words of earnest prayer, 
he secured the rope round his waist, strug- 



WRECK OF THE DRAKE 283 

gled hard with the waves, and reached 
the shore, whence he sent back the news 
of his safety by a loud cheer to his 
comrades. 

There was now a line of rope between the 
shore and the rock, just long enough to reach 
from one to the other when held by a man at 
each end. The only hope of safety lay in 
working a desperate passage along this rope 
to the land. The spray was already beating 
over those who were crouched on the rock, 
but not a man moved till called by name by 
Captain Baker, and then it is recorded that 
not one, so summoned, stirred till he had used 
his best entreaties to the captain to take his 
place; but the captain had but one reply — 
"I will never leave the rock until every soul 
is safe." 

Forty-four stout sailors had made their per- 
ilous way to shore. The forty-fifth looked 
round and saw a poor woman lying helpless, 
almost lifeless, on the rock, unable to move. 
He took her in one arm, and with the other 
clung to the rope. Alas! the double weight 
was more than the much-tried rope could 



284 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

bear; it broke halfway, and the poor woman 
and the sailor were both swallowed in the 
eddy. Captain Baker and three seamen re- 
mained, utterly cut of! from hope or help. 
The men in best condition hurried off in 
search of help, found a farmhouse, obtained 
a rope, and hastened back; but long ere their 
arrival, the waters had flowed above the head 
of the brave and faithful captain. All the 
crew could do was, with full hearts, to write 
a most touching letter to an officer who had 
once sailed with them in the Drake to entreat 
him to represent their captain's conduct to 
the Lords of the Admiralty. "In fact," said 
the letter, "during the whole business he 
proved himself a man whose name and last 
conduct ought ever to be held in the highest 
estimation by a crew who feel it their duty 
to ask, from the Lords Commissioners of the 
Admiralty, that which they otherwise have 
not the means of obtaining; that is, a public 
and lasting record of the lion-hearted, gener- 
ous, and very unexampled way in which our 
late noble commander sacrificed his life, in 
the evening of the 23rd of June." This letter 



WRECK OF THE DRAKE 285 

was signed by the whole surviving crew of the 
Drake, and in consequence a tablet in the 
dockyard chapel at Portsmouth commemo- 
rates the heroism of Captain Charles Baker. 



A STORMY SEA 

Scud was seen flying rapidly across the sky, 
thick white masses of clouds banked up 
densely in the horizon. It was Adair's first 
watch ; Murray had been about to turn in. He 
cast his eyes around. 

"Depend on it, Adair, we are going to have 
a heavy blow, and a regular tornado will be 
down on us before long, and the sooner we 
make everything snug the better." 

Adair doubted whether there would be 
anything more than a squall. Just then the 
sails flapped ominously, and there was a per- 
fect calm. The flame of a candle brought 
on deck would have ascended straight up- 
wards. 

" Adair, I tell you it will be down on us in 
a few minutes, and with terrific force, too," 
exclaimed Murray. "All hands shorten sail!" 



A STORMY SEA 287 

Not a moment was to be lost. Needham and 
the rest saw that with the exception of the 
fore-staysail every sail was lowered and care- 
fully stowed; the topmasts were struck, and 
everything on deck was lashed and secured. 
All the time a dead calm continued, the at- 
mosphere was dreadfully close, so that even 
on deck at times it seemed difficult to breathe, 
while all around became darker and darker. 
Suddenly a sound like heavy thunder was 
heard in the distance. 

"It is the beginning of the strife, the first 
gun fired in action. Look there, what do you 
say to that?" He pointed to a thick bank of 
foam which was seen rolling up through the 
dense gloom towards the devoted little vessel. 

"Why, I suspect that we shall find ourselves 
in the midst of a sea which will pretty nearly 
swamp us," answered Adair. 

On it came rolling and leaping, as if eager 
to destroy the little craft. No sooner did her 
head feel the force of the gale than off like 
a sea-bird on the wing she flew before it. The 
fore-staysail was now stowed, for from the 
fury of the tornado it would either have been 



288 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

torn out of the bolt-ropes or run the vessel 
under water. On flew the little craft, the sea 
every minute getting up and the wind fresh- 
ening. 

The caution was not ill-timed. On came a 
monster sea, roaring astern. High above her 
quarters it rose, and down it rushed on her 
decks, well nigh swamping her. All the 
hatches had been secured, but, had not the 
ports been open, so as to allow the water im- 
mediately to run out, it would have swamped 
her. The half-drowned crew shook them- 
selves as they once more emerged from the 
weight of water above them. Happily, none 
were washed away. 

The little half sinking schooner dashed on 
amid the raging seas, now lifted up to the sum- 
mit of one surrounded by hissing foam, now 
sinking down into the gloomy hollow between 
others which seemed as if they were about 
instantly to engulf her. Again another sea 
struck her, and had not every one held on 
tight to the rigging or bulwarks, her deck 
would have been cleared, as it made a clean 
wash fore and aft, 



A STORMY SEA 289 

"We must not run this risk again!" ex- 
claimed Murray. "All hands go below; one 
on deck is enough. I'll take the helm. No 
expostulation, Adair; remember I am com- 
manding officer. I am determined to do it." 

Adair with a bad grace was obliged to 
obey with the rest. They all went below, and 
Murray battened down the hatches. Lash- 
ing himself to the helm, he alone remained 
on deck through that fearful gale. The sea 
roared around the little vessel, the wind whis- 
tled through the shrouds, fierce lightnings 
darted from the dark, heavy clouds, the thun- 
der rattled in deafening peals, while deluges 
of rain and spray flew about his head and al- 
most blinded him. Yet, undaunted as at the 
first, he stood like some spirit of the storm 
at his dangerous post. 

Those below tried to sleep, to pass away 
the time, but so fearful was the tumult that 
sleep refused to visit even the seaman's eyes. 
Hour after hour passed by. Still by the noise 
and the movement of the vessel it was too evi- 
dent that the gale continued. Adair calcu- 
lated that it must already be almost day. Just 



2 9 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

then the vessel became more steady, and the 
noise of the storm considerably diminished. 
Adair was surprised that Murray did not take 
off the hatches. He was anxious to go on 
deck to relieve him. He knocked and knocked 
again on the skylight. He called and called 
out again and again. There was no answer. 
With frantic energy he attempted to burst 
open the skylight. The dreadful idea seized 
him that Murray, his brave and noble friend, 
had been washed overboard and lost. 

He and his companions again knocked sev- 
eral times. Still there was no answer. They 
themselves were almost stifled with the heat 
of the atmosphere, and the odour of the rot- 
ting tobacco and monkey-skins which came 
from the hold. "This will never do," ex- 
claimed Adair, becoming more and more 
alarmed for Murray's safety. "We must force 
the hatches off, or break our way through the 
skylight." They groped about and found a 
handspike which had been chucked down be- 
low. "Now, lads, heave ho!" cried Adair, 
and, getting the end under the skylight, with 
a loud crash they pried it off, and one after 



A STORMY SEA 291 

the other sprang on deck. There stood Mur- 
ray lashed to the helm, looking more like a 
man in a trance than one awake. 

"Hello, where am I?" he exclaimed, gaz- 
ing wildly around. 

"On the deck of the Venus, old fellow," an- 
swered Terence, taking him by the hand. 
"Right gallantly you steered us through the 
gale, and as soon as it fell calm you dropped 
asleep, and small blame to you. We did the 
same below, and I cannot tell you how glad 
I am to see you safe : we all thought you had 
fallen overboard." Murray was very much 
surprised to find that he had slept so long and 
so soundly, but he soon gave evidence that 
he had not had enough rest, for Adair had a 
mattress brought up and stretched under an 
awning on deck, and the moment he placed his 
head on it he was off again as soundly as be- 
fore. 

"We must turn to at the pumps, sir," ob- 
served Needham, coming from below. "If we 
don't bear a hand, I fear the craft will sink 
under us." Such it appeared would prob- 
ably be the case, but no one was daunted. All 



292 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

set to work and laboured away as manfully as 
before. When Murray awoke he found that 
the schooner was again almost cleared of 
water. The last man to leave the pumps was 
Wasser. He was still labouring away, when 
down he sank on the deck. Murray and Adair 
ran to lift him up. He could scarcely open 
his eyes, and looked thoroughly worn out. 
They lifted the poor fellow to the mattress 
from which Murray had just risen, and as 
soon as the fire, which had gone out, could 
be lighted, they made some beef broth, which 
they poured down his throat. They also gave 
him a little rum. Alick and Terence differed 
as to which was the best restorative, but, un- 
like doctors in general, they agreed to min- 
ister them alternately. Paddy wanted to give 
them in equal proportions — that is to say, for 
every cup of broth Alick gave, he wanted to 
give a glass of grog; but, fortunately, to this 
arrangement Murray would not consent. He 
argued that one tumbler of grog, half-and- 
half, was stronger than a dozen basins of 
broth, and he would therefore allow only half 
a tumbler in the day. When Wasser was at 



A STORMY SEA 293 

length able to speak, to Adair's astonishment, 
he declared in favour of the remedy of the 
rival practitioner, and Murray and his broth 
carried the day. In spite of the heat, Wasser 
had to be carried below, and all who could 
were glad to take shelter there, for down came 
the rain with terrific force, and continued 
without intermission, almost swamping the 
little vessel. Her crew had work enough to 
do all their time in keeping her clear of water, 
which poured in through the leaks in buckets 
full. For days and nights together no one 
had on a dry jacket. By such observations as 
they could manage to make, Murray and 
Adair began to suspect that all their seaman- 
ship was set to naught; for though they at 
times made some way through the water, they 
as quickly lost all the ground they had gained, 
and thus it became evident that there was a 
strong current against them. 

"This is dreadfully trying," exclaimed 
Terence, after they had become convinced of 
this disagreeable fact. "Let us try and make 
the land again, and see whereabouts we are. 
Perhaps by hugging the shore we may be able 



294 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

to get round Cape Oalmas, after all." Mur- 
ray agreed to this proposal, although he was 
not very sanguine of success. He knew that 
the currents were probably as strong in shore 
as where they then were, but he hoped that 
they might possibly get a slant of wind off the 
land, enabling them to stem the current, and 
help them along round the Cape. Murray 
had been making his calculations on paper. 

"I could scarcely have believed that we 
should have been so unfortunate," he observed, 
looking calmly up. "For the last six days we 
have not made good more than four or five 
miles — perhaps scarcely so much. I have no 
wish to pay another visit to Cape Coast Cas- 
tle, though I dare say the old governor would 
be kind to us." 

"I agree with you," answered Adair. "Let 
us stick at it. We must get the wind in our 
favour some day or other. It does not al- 
ways blow from the nor'ard, I suppose." 

Like true British sailors they did stick at it. 
Such is the spirit which has animated the nu- 
merous brave voyagers who have explored the 
arctic regions, the southern seas and the wide 



A STORMY SEA 295 

spreading Pacific. At length the land was 
made. It was a long way, however, to the 
southward, or rather to the eastward of Cape 
Palmas. The wind fell soon afterwards, and 
slowly they drifted in towards the shore. 
Their glasses, as they approached, were di- 
rected at it, and they could see a number of 
blacks collected on the beach and evidently 
watching them. The part of the coast they 
were now off is called the Ivory Coast. As 
far as the eye could reach it was flat and mo- 
notonous, but along its whole extent appeared 
rich groves of cocoanut trees, extending a 
considerable distance inland. Here and there 
emblossomed by the cocoanut groves they 
could see small villages and separate build- 
ings, the cottages with high conical roofs, 
thatched with palmetto leaves. To the east 
appeared a long thin spit of sand, separated 
from the main beach by a lagoon, into which 
several rivers and streams appeared to fall. 
As they approached the shore a terrific surf 
was seen rolling in towards it, and breaking 
with a loud roar on the sand. 

"What will become of our little craft if we 



296 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

get in among those breakers?" said Adair. 
"She will have hard work to swim, I suspect." 

"I doubt if she will ever float through 
them," answered Murray. "If she does and 
we are stranded, which is the best fate we 
can then hope to happen to us, I fear that 
those black gentry on the shore will not give 
us a very friendly reception. They are flour- 
ishing their spears as if they would like to dig 
them into us." 

"We shall be completely in their power, 
and, what is worse, we have not the means of 
showing fight," said Adair, watching the peo- 
ple on the shore through his glass. "They 
have some big canoes hauled up on the beach, 
and they seem disposed to launch them, and 
come in chase of us should the rollers not send 
us to them." 

"I wish that there was a chance of that," 
exclaimed Murray; "I should have very lit- 
tle fear of them if they came to attack us. Ah ! 
there's a puff of wind off the shore. Our 
blacks have discovered it. They are wetting 
their fingers and holding up their hands. We 
may yet be able to stand off the land." 



A STORMY SEA 297 

The minutes passed slowly by. They were 
full of the most anxious suspense. Now the 
promised breeze died away, and the little ves- 
sel floated helplessly in towards the dreaded 
surf. Now it came on again, and she was 
able to get a little farther off, again to be left 
to drift back towards the land. Then, just as 
her case seemed hopeless, another puff would 
come, and all on board hoped that she would 
make a good offing. Had they possessed 
sweeps, with the help of the transient breeze, 
they might have got to a safe distance from 
the land. As to anchoring, that was out of 
the question. Even had there been bottom to 
be found with such an inset, their cable would 
not have held them for an instant. When the 
schooner got near enough to the shore, they 
saw that the natives were still watching them 
eagerly, and no sooner did the breeze return 
than preparations were made to launch their 
canoes. From the gestures of the blacks, Mur- 
ray and Adair agreed that their intentions did 
not appear to be friendly, and therefore it 
would be wiser to avoid them altogether if 
they could, and at all events to be prepared 



298 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

to receive them warmly should they overtake 
the schooner. Her progress was very slow, 
and there appeared too great a prospect of 
their doing this. Every preparation was there- 
fore made for such a contingency. The wind 
was light, but it appeared to be increasing, 
and by degrees it was evident that the little 
craft was forging ahead more and more rap- 
idly through the smooth shining ocean. The 
negroes on shore must have seen that their 
chance of overtaking her was every moment 
lessening, and they were observed to make 
several strenuous efforts to launch their canoes 
through the surf. The first two were cap- 
sized and sent back on the beach, which the 
people in her (or rather out of her) very 
easily regained, as if perfectly accustomed to 
that mode of proceeding. Again, however, 
the canoes were righted and launched, and 
that time four gained the open sea. The fifth 
was driven back, and probably received some 
damage, for she was not again launched. 
Four large canoes full of strong, active ne- 
groes, completely armed according to their 
own fashion, were antagonists not to be de- 



A STORMY SEA 299 

spised; still it was evident that they had not 
firearms, or that if they had, they must have 
been rendered completely useless from the 
thorough drenching they must have got. 
Night was drawing on. The wind in a few 
minutes drew more round to the eastward, and 
gave signs of once more dropping. Of course, 
every inch of canvas the little Venus could 
carry was set on her, so that unless the breeze 
increased it was impossible to make her go 
faster than she was going through the water. 
As yet, she was keeping well ahead of the 
canoes. The two midshipmen anxiously 
watched the proceedings of the latter. The 
blacks in the stern sheets were standing up 
and gesticulating, flourishing their clubs and 
lances, and encouraging their companions. 
The sun at length went down, and with the 
last gleam of light shed by his rays they could 
see the canoes still in pursuit. Darkness, 
however, now rapidly rose over the deep, and 
hid them from their view. Murray wisely 
bethought him of altering the schooner's 
course more to the southward for a short time. 
Nearly an hour passed, and there were no 



300 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

signs of the canoes. They had therefore lit- 
tle apprehension that they would overtake 
them. The schooner was hauled up again on 
a wind. The night passed away, and when 
morning broke neither the canoes nor the land 
were in sight. 

"If the breeze lasts we may hope to regain 
the ground we lost last night," observed Mur- 
ray. But it did not, and when once more they 
reached in towards the land, they found that 
they had made as little progress as before. 
Again, too, their provisions were running 
short. Though they might catch some fish, 
the supply was uncertain. 

"We shall have to bear up again for Cape 
Coast Castle, after all, I am afraid," observed 
Adair to Murray. "And, really, Alick, if I 
were you, I would leave the old craft there, 
and let us find our way as best we can to Sierra 
Leone. Yet, of course, if you resolve to con- 
tinue the voyage, I'll stick by you. You'll not 
think I hesitate about that point?" 

"I know full well that you'd not desert me, 
Paddy, even if things were ten times as bad 
as they are," answered Murray. "But you 



A STORMY SEA 301 

also know me well enough not to suppose that 
I would disobey my orders and abandon the 
schooner while she holds together. If she gets 
a slight repair, with a fresh supply of provi- 
sions, she will be as well able to perform the 
voyage as she was at first. There is no use 
starving, though; and as we have scarcely 
anything left to eat on board, we'll keep away 
at once for Cape Coast Castle." 

The order to put up the helm was received 
with no little satisfaction by Needham and 
the rest, and in less than three days the 
schooner was riding safely at anchor before 
the old fort. 



ON THE RAFT 

The heart of the bravest of men may well 
sink within him when he hears the cry ut- 
tered, in accents of despair, "The ship is sink- 
ing, the ship is sinking!" Rogers and Adair 
looked at each other, and thought that their 
last moment had really come. All the bright 
visions in the future which their young im- 
aginations had long conjured up vanished in 
a moment. Well might they, for the ship lay 
hopelessly on her side, with more than half 
her deck under the water. There arose from 
every side shrieks and cries of terror. There 
were the distorted countenances of the blacks, 
as they crowded up the hatchway, through 
which the sea was pouring in torrents, while 
their own men, intent on preserving their lives 
to the last, were clambering up the bulwarks 

or working their way forward, which was the 

302 



ON THE RAFT 303 

part of the ship the highest out of the water. 
Hemming, followed by two midshipmen with 
axes in hand, endeavoured to gain the same 
part of the ship. It was no easy task. The 
howling wind blew with terrific violence 
around them, and the seething ocean bubbled 
up, and sent its fierce waves dashing over 
their heads. "Oh, save me, save me!" cried 
Adair, as a sea struck him and washed him 
down the deck; but Hemming and Rogers 
caught the rope he had happily clutched, and 
hauled him up again. At length they gained 
the forecastle, where most of their own crew 
had assembled, and some few of the unfor- 
tunate blacks. They were the only survivors 
of the four or five hundred human beings who 
lately breathed the breath of life on board. 
Mr. Hemming, looking around, saw that 
there was not a chance of the ship righting 
herself. He accordingly promptly issued or- 
ders for the formation of a raft. Such spars 
as were loose or could be got at were hauled 
up on the forecastle. The top-gallant masts 
and royals had been carried away, and fortu- 
nately still floated near; Jack saw them and 



3o 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

got them hauled in. Hemming meantime was 
wrenching up the forecastle deck to assist in 
the formation of a raft. There was not a 
moment to lose, for it was evident that the 
ship was fast settling down. Fortunately a 
hammer and some nails were found forward. 

"Here, my lads, lash the ends of these spars 
together, so as to form a square," cried Hem- 
ming, working energetically. "That will do; 
now this one diagonally — that will strengthen 
it; now these planks; nail them on as we best 
can on the top. That will do bravely; next 
lash these lighter spars above all, they will 
form a coaming, and prevent us from slip- 
ping off the raft." Thus he went on, by his 
activity and cheerful voice keeping up the 
spirits of his men and encouraging them to 
exertion. 

"Mr. Hemming," said Jack, "how are we 
to live without food? I must try to get some 
— who'll follow me?" 

"I will, with all my heart," cried Dick 
Needham. Jack and he fastened ropes to 
their waists, and dashed aft towards the chief 
cabin, which was already under water. The 



ON THE RAFT 305 

tornado had passed away as suddenly as it 
began, so that the water was tolerably smooth, 
or they could not have attempted this daring 
feat. 

"I know where a cask of biscuits was 
stowed. If we can get it out, it will be a great 
thing," cried Jack, preparing to dive into the 
cabin. 

"I saw some beef in one of the starboard 
lockers," said Needham, accompanying him. 
Another good swimmer and diver followed 
them. All three remained under water so 
long that those forward thought they were 
lost. Adair could not restrain himself, and 
was dashing aft, when Jack came to the sur- 
face puffing and blowing like a grampus. He 
had .discovered the cask of biscuits, but no 
beef was to be found. What, however, was 
of great consequence was a breaker of water 
which Needham found, and both were floated 
up to the raft forward. Two other attempts 
were made to get provisions, but in vain. All 
the rest of the party were engaged with all 
their might in increasing and strengthening 
the raft. Then the cry arose, "She is going 



3 o6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

down, she is going down!" Jack looked about 
him as he came to the surface out of the sub- 
merged cabin, and seeing that not a moment 
was to be lost, summoning his two followers, 
sprang forward. Adair, with outstretched 
hand, was ready to help him on to the raft as 
he felt the big ship sinking under his feet. 

"Shove off, shove off, my lads!" sung out 
their commander. With spars and oars the 
seamen forced the raft away from the found- 
ering hull. Then, as the eddy formed by the 
huge mass going downwards through the wa- 
ter caught it, the helpless raft was whirled 
round and round, and then horrible seemed 
the fate in store for them. One side dipped 
into the sea, and all believed that it was going 
to be drawn down amid the vortex. But, how- 
ever, up it came to the surface, and floated 
evenly on the water. Still their condition was 
melancholy in the extreme. On counting 
numbers, it was found that fifteen men who 
formed the prize crew, including officers, had 
escaped, with two Spaniards out of those who 
had been left on board to assist in working 
the ship, and twelve negroes. To supply all 



ON THE RAFT 307 

these people with food there was only a cask 
of biscuits and about twelve gallons of water. 
How long they might have to remain exposed 
to scorching heat, fierce storms, or chilling 
fogs, it was impossible to say. Jack looked at 
Adair, and Adair looked at Jack, to read each 
other's feelings in their countenances. They 
felt for each other as brothers, and each trem- 
bled for the fate which might overtake his 
friend. 

"How far do you make it out we are from 
land?" asked Adair. 

"Oh, not more than a hundred miles," an- 
swered Hemming. "That is nothing. The 
sea breezes would drive us in there in the 
course of the day." 

He did not say this because he thought it; 
he wanted to keep up the spirits of the peo- 
ple under his charge. Nor did he remind 
them that they were five or six hundred miles 
from Free Town, Sierra Leone, and a very 
considerable distance from Manovia in Li- 
beria. A fore-top-gallant studding-sail had 
been hauled on board the raft, and this set 
on a spar served them as a sail. As soon as 



3 o8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the ship had disappeared, and everything 
floating out of her had been picked up, Hem- 
ming's first care was to arrange the people 
so as to trim the raft properly. He made them 
sit in rows back to back, with faces to the 
sea. He, with Jack and Terence, sat in the 
centre by the mast on the cask of biscuits and 
the water. A spar with a plank nailed to the 
outer end served as a rudder, and two very 
inefricient oars were manufactured in the 
same way. For some hours after the tornado 
they were becalmed, and then a light air from 
the southward sprung up, which enabled them 
to steer towards the land. After some con- 
sideration, Hemming stood up and addressed 
the men; Jack and Adair admired the calm 
and collected, and, indeed, dignified way in 
which he spoke, so different from his manner 
when he was a mate. "My men," he said, "we 
are placed by Providence in a very danger- 
ous position. We must trust to the help of 
the Almighty, not to our own arms ; to save us ; 
still we must exert ourselves to the best of our 
power to take care of our lives; we must hus- 
band our resources, we must behave with the 



ON THE RAFT 309 

utmost order, we must be kind to each other, 
and we must keep up our spirits and hope 
for the best. If we pray to God, He will hear 
us, and if He sees fit, He will save us. Now, 
my lads, let us pray." On this the lieutenant 
offered up a sincere prayer for their preser- 
vation, and all who could understand him 
joined in. Even the benighted blacks com- 
prehended that he was performing some rite 
by which they were to benefit. After it Hem- 
ming again got up. "I told you, my lads, we 
must husband our resources. Till we see what 
progress we make, it will be v/ise to take only 
one biscuit a day. That will support life for 
some days, and if we take more our stock will 
soon be exhausted." The men replied cheer- 
fully that they would limit themselves to any 
quantity he thought best. Poor fellows, they 
were to be sorely tried: the sun went down, 
and an easterly wind blew, and not only pre- 
vented them from approaching the coast, but 
again drove them slowly off it. When the sun 
rose the wind fell altogether, and they lay 
exposed to the full fury of its scorching rays. 
A thirst, which the small quantity of water 



3 io THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

served out in a teacup during the day could 
in no way assuage, now attacked them. Jack 
and Adair felt their spirits sinking lower than 
they had ever gone before. They could 
scarcely eat their small allowance of biscuit. 
They knew too that in another day the bottom 
of the cask would be reached. Still they tried 
to imitate Hemming in keeping a cheerful 
countenance. Many of the people complained 
bitterly of their sufferings. The poor blacks 
said nothing, but three of them almost at the 
same moment sank back on the raft, and when 
those near them tried to lift them up, they 
were found to be dead. They were speedily 
lowered into the water. 

"Adair, what is that?" asked Jack, as a dark 
fin was seen gliding round the raft. 

"A shark," answered Adair. "See, there 
are two, three, four of them. We must have 
one of those fellows. They will eat us if we 
don't eat them, that is very certain. Here, 
Needham, have a running bowline ready to 
slip over the head of the first who comes near 
enough." The idea was taken up eagerly by 
the men; there being plenty of line on board, 



ON THE RAFT 311 

several of them sat ready with the bight of a 
rope in hand, hoping to catch one of those 
evil-disposed monsters of the deep. But death 
in the meantime was busy among their com- 
panions. One by one the blacks dropped off, 
till one only remained. He was a fine-look- 
ing, intelligent young man, of great muscular 
strength, and evidently superior to the rest in 
rank. He sat by himself, slowly looking with 
steadfast eyes toward the land of his birth. 
Once more the wind got up, and sent the water 
washing over the frail raft, which worked 
fearfully, as if it would come to pieces. 

"Never fear, my lads," said Hemming, "I 
know of no part which might give way. It 
will hold together, depend on that." In spite 
of all the workings it did hold together. Hem- 
ming's face, though his words were always 
cheering, looked very grave. "Roger, Adair, 
my friends," he said solemnly, "the water is 
expended, and there are no more biscuits — 
how shall I announce it to these poor fel- 
lows?" He thought a little. "Come, lads," 
he cried out, "be smart about catching some 
fish; a change of food will do us all good." 



312 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

No one asked for more biscuits or water; 
they knew it was all gone. Some gave way 
under the appalling thought. One of the 
Spaniards went raving mad, and threw him- 
self into the sea, whence no one had strength 
to pull him out; the other fell back and died 
quietly. 

"Some of our men won't hold out much 
longer," observed Jack to Hemming; "can we 
do nothing for them?' , 

"Nothing," answered Hemming, solemnly. 
The cool air of the night seemed to revive 
them; but when the hot sun came out, and 
shone down on their unprotected heads they 
died. Two more went raving mad. They 
chattered and sung, and then howled and 
shrieked. It was with difficulty they could 
be held down. One of them escaped from his 
companions, and threw himself into the sea. 
The other was prevented from following his 
example, but his strength gradually decreased 
till he also died. Scarcely was his body sent 
into the deep than a fair wind sprung up, and 
the sail being hoisted, the raft went along at 
the rate of three or four miles an hour. No 



ON THE RAFT 313 

one had relaxed their efforts to catch a shark. 
A shout was given (not a loud one, for their 
voices were already hollow and weak), and 
several men were seen hauling in the head and 
shoulders of a large shark. How eager and 
anxious was the expression on their counte- 
nances, for they all dreaded their prize to 
escape them. Their strength too was scarcely 
adequate to the task. At last he was hauled 
up on the raft, but so violent were his strug- 
gles that he nearly threw some of the people 
into the sea as they crawled up to him to de- 
spatch him with their axes. At last Jack, not 
knowing what mischief might be committed, 
sprang towards him, and aiming a blow at his 
tail struck directly on it, and instantly he was 
quieted. Scarcely was the monster dead than 
the men's knives were cutting away at him. 
Some drank his blood, and others eagerly ate 
the yet-quivering flesh. The officers, how- 
ever ravenous they felt, got some thin slices, 
which they dried in the sun before eating. 
Food had thus been providentially sent them, 
but their sufferings from thirst soon became 
very painful. It was piteous to hear some of 



3H THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the poor fellows crying out for water when 
there was none to give them. Several more 
died from the grievous thirst they were suf- 
fering. Mr. Hemming anxiously looked 
round the horizon. Not a sail was in sight in 
any direction. Hour after hour passed away. 
Their tongues became parched, and clove to 
the roofs of their mouths. 

"This is dreadful," whispered Jack; "I 
don't think I can stand it much longer." 

"I would give a guinea for a bottle of gin- 
ger beer," exclaimed Terence. 

"Oh, how delicious! don't talk of such a 
thing. I would give ten for a pint of the dir- 
tiest ditch-water in which a duck ever wad- 
dled," said Jack; "however, we must try and 
not think about it." 

Some hours passed slowly by after this, 
when Hemming's eye was seen to brighten up. 

"Is there a sail in sight?" asked Jack and 
Adair, who were constantly watching his 
looks. 

"No," he answered; "but there is a cloud in 
the horizon. It is a small one, but it rises 
slowly in the northwest, and I trust betokens 



ON THE RAFT 315 

rain. If it does not bring wind at the same 
time, our sufferings may be relieved." 

How anxiously all on the craft, who had 
yet consciousness left, watched the progress of 
that little cloud, at first not bigger than a 
man's hand. How their hearts sank within 
them when they thought that it had stopped, 
or that its course was altered; but it had not 
stopped, though it advanced but slowly. Still 
it grew and grew, and extended wider and 
wider on either hand, and grew darker and 
darker till it formed a black canopy over their 
heads; and then there was a pattering, hissing 
noise heard over the calm sea, and down came 
the rain in large drops thick and fast. The 
men lifted up their grateful faces to heaven 
to catch the refreshing liquid in their mouths 
as it fell, but Hemming lowered the sail, and, 
ordering the men to stretch it wide, caught the 
rain in it, and let it run off into the breaker 
until that was full; then they filled the cask 
which had held the biscuit, each man took 
off his shirt, and let it get wet through and 
through, and eagerly they sucked the sail, so 
that not a drop more than could be helped of 



3 i6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the precious fluid should be lost. Then, when 
they found that the rain continued, each man 
took a draught of the pure water from the 
cask, which they again filled up as before by 
means of the sail. 

"Oh, Terence, how delicious!" exclaimed 
Jack, drawing a deep breath. 

"Nectar," said Adair, draining a last drop 
in his cup. It was of a doubtful brown hue, 
and in reality tepid from falling on the not 
over clean hot sail. 

Jack and Terence learned the lesson, that 
the value of things can only be ascertained 
by being compared with others. The shower 
was the means sent by Providence to preserve 
the lives of many of those on the raft. Some 
were already too far gone to benefit by it. 
They opened their glassy eyes, and allowed 
their shipmates to pour the water down their 
parched throats; they seemed to revive for a 
short time, but soon again sunk, and some 
even died while the water was trickling over 
their cracked lips. All this time the raft was 
constantly surrounded by sharks. The flesh of 
the first caught was almost exhausted, and, 



ON THE RAFT 317 

though dried in the sun, had become rather 
unsavoury. 

"Come, my lads, we must have another of 
those fellows," cried Hemming, standing up, 
and supporting himself against the mast. 
"Can any of you heave the bight of a rope 
over one of them?" 

"I'll try, sir," said Dick Needham, kneel- 
ing at the edge of the raft, for he had not 
strength to stand. How changed he was from 
the stout seaman he had appeared but a few 
days before. He made several trials in vain. 
Jack shark always kept at too great a distance 
when the rope was thrown. At last one of 
the seamen took off his shoes, and, tucking up 
his trousers, stuck out his leg, and moved it 
slowly backwards and forwards. The vora- 
cious shark saw the tempting bait, and made 
a dash at it. The seaman drew it in, and as 
the fish, disappointed of his prize, turned 
round, whisking up his tail out of the water, 
Needham adroitly hove the rope over it. As 
the shark darted off, Dick was very nearly 
drawn overboard, but the rope, tightening, 
brought up the shark, and as he turned round 



3 i8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

to ascertain what had got hold of his tail, an- 
other rope was thrown over his head, and he 
was hauled, in spite of his plunges and strug- 
gles, on board. A few blows on the spine, 
near the tail, quickly finished him. He was 
soon cut up, some part of him was eaten fresh, 
and the rest was hung up to dry. The men 
would have thrown what they did not want 
overboard, but their commander reminded 
them that bad weather might come on when 
they could not catch another, and that they 
should preserve a store for such an event. It 
was fortunate this forethought was shown, for 
that very night a strong breeze sprung up, 
and the frail raft was tossed up and down, till 
there appeared every chance of its upsetting 
or being knocked to pieces. Happily more 
rain came down and refreshed them, and the 
clouds sheltered them from the scorching rays 
of the sun, or not one of them would have 
held out. Sadly were their numbers reduced. 
Ten Englishmen and the young African chief 
only now remained alive. Some of them ap- 
peared almost at death's door, and they would 
have slipped from the raft had not their com- 



ON THE RAFT 319 

rades held them on. Darkness again came 
down on the waters, and the wave-tossed raft 
drove onwards, no one knew in what direc- 
tion. The stars were hidden — they had no 
compass — nor had they possessed one was 
there a lantern by which to see it. Great were 
the horrors of that night and of two succeed- 
ing nights; still neither did the gallant Hem- 
ming nor his two younger companions allow 
their courage to desert them. They conversed 
as much as they could, they talked of their 
past lives, they even spoke of the future; nor 
did they forget to pray to heaven for strength 
to support whatever might yet be in store for 
them. Still, the wet and cold of the night 
and the heat of the day, were telling fearfully 
on all of them. 

"When do you think we shall reach the 
shore, sir?" asked Jack. "We have been driv- 
ing for a long time towards it nicely." 

"In two days, if the wind holds," answered 
Hemming; "perhaps in less time we may 
sight it." 

But the wind did not hold. Once more 
they knew they were being blown off it. Their 



320 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

hearts sank. They well-nigh gave way to 
despair. Each of the officers took it in turns 
to stand up to keep a lookout for a sail or for 
land. Jack was standing on the top of the 
cask, holding on by the mast, when his eye 
fell on a white glittering object to the north- 
ward. 

"Yes, it is! it is!" he exclaimed; "a sail! 
a sail! she must be standing this way." All 
but the weakest or most desponding turned 
their anxious eyes in the direction Jack indi- 
cated. The sight of some was already too 
dim to discern her; but others raised a feeble 
shout, and declared that she was standing close 
hauled towards them. How eagerly they 
watched her, till their anxiety became pain- 
ful in the extreme. Some shouted, "We shall 
be saved! we shall be saved!" but others 
moaned out, "No, no, she'll not see us, she 
will pass us." Hemming stood up, watching 
the approaching vessel near them. One hour 
of intense anxiety passed. There was very lit- 
tle wind. Another glided on. 

"Yes, my lads, she is undoubtedly standing 
this way," cried Hemming. "But " and 



ON THE RAFT 321 

he stopped: "she may be a slaver; and, if so, 
I know not whether we should be better off 
than we now are." 

"Surely, bad as they may be, they would 
not leave us," said Jack. 

"Don't be too sure of that. There is noth- 
ing too bad for slavers to do," observed Hem- 
ming; "however, let us hope for the best." 

The stranger approached. She had very 
square yards, very white canvas, and a black 
hull. If she was not a slaver she looked very 
like one. Still even had they wished it they 
could not have avoided her. On she came. 
Her course would have taken her somewhat 
wide of the raft. It was not seen, apparently. 
Then suddenly her course was altered. Some 
one on board had made them out. The brig 
stood towards them. When she was scarcely 
more than half a mile off it fell dead calm. 
A boat was lowered. 

"Those fellows pull in a man-of-war's 
style," observed Hemming. "Grant she may 
be an English cruiser: but I fear not." 

The almost dying seamen endeavoured to 
cheer, but their weak voices were scarcely 



322 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

heard over the waters. The boat dashed 
towards them. They could hear the officer 
in her speaking to his men. It was in Span- 
ish. 

"Then they are slavers, after all," cried 
Jack, with a sigh. 

He had taken a great antipathy to slavers. 
To an Englishman no class of men are more 
hateful. The boat came alongside. The peo- 
ple in her regarded them with looks of com- 
miseration. Well they might have done so; 
for more wretched-looking beings could 
scarcely have been seen. Two of them stepped 
on board the raft, to which they secured a 
rope, and began towing it toward the brig. 
Neither Hemming nor any of his companions 
could speak Spanish, so they asked no ques- 
tions. They were soon alongside the brig and 
were handed up on deck. They felt sure they 
were going on board a slaver or perhaps a pi- 
rate ; but what was their surprise to see several 
officers in uniform on deck, one of whom 
stepped forward and addressed them in very 
good English : "You are on board her most 
Catholic Majesty's brig the San Fernando. 



ON THE RAFT 323 

We will not ask you how you came into this 
plight. You shall be taken below, and all 
possible care shall be bestowed on you." 

Hemming tried in vain to reply to this very 
kind and polite speech. He pointed to his 
mouth and signified that he could not speak. 
The necessity for exertion being over, he felt 
himself completely unnerved. 

The officers were conveyed to the captain's 
cabin; the men to a sick bay on deck: and 
the surgeon, if not very clever, was kind; and 
what they chiefly wanted was rest and food. 
Jack and Terence fell asleep, and slept 
twenty-four hours without waking, so they 
said. Several days passed, however, before 
they were able to sit up in their beds. At 
last they were able to crawl up on deck. It 
was wonderful then how soon they picked up 
their strength. Hemming took longer to 
come round. Dick Needham was about as 
soon as they were. Two poor fellows died on 
board, so that eight only of the prize crew 
ultimately remained alive. 



THE TITANIC DISASTER 

THAT marvel of naval architecture, the Ti- 
tanic, a thing of wonderful grace and strength, 
left Southampton on Wednesday, April nth, 
191 2, bound for New York. It was her 
maiden voyage, and many passengers had de- 
layed, or hurried, their sojourn in England, in 
order that they might cross the Atlantic on 
this floating palace. 

The magnitude of this great ship almost 
passes the power of imagining, but the follow- 
ing figures give some idea of her greatness. 
Her gross tonnage was 46,328, and net 21,831 ; 
length, ,852 feet, and breadth, 92 feet; hold, 
60 feet deep, and length from keel to beam 
64 feet; horse-power, 50,000. The vessel had 
three screws, and owing to her many water- 
tight bulkheads and inner bottom, was sup- 
posed to be unsinkable. She was provided 
with six separate sets of boilers, telephones, 

324 



THE TITANIC DISASTER 325 

wireless outfit, electric power and submarine 
signalling systems; electric elevators, swim- 
ming baths, tennis courts, concert rooms, li- 
braries, etc. In fact, she had been fitted with 
everything that science and ingenuity could 
suggest for the safety and comfort of her pas- 
sengers. 

The great ship called at Cherbourg and 
Queenstown, and then the course was set for 
New York, taking the usual outward-bound 
route. On the fourth day out from Southamp- 
ton warnings were received by wireless from 
S.S. Garonia and Baltic that icebergs and 
field ice had been seen in large quantities. 
These warnings were significant, because it is 
very unusual for field ice so far south. 

All was quiet on board, and only the officers 
and men who were on duty were about. Sud- 
denly there was a quiet thud, and soon the 
engine ceased vibrating. The sleepers were 
aroused by the unusual stillness, and ran 
from their staterooms to discover the cause, 
only to be told that all was well. Most of 
them returned to their cabins. 

But all was not well. The Titanic had been 



326 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

rushing through the water, making twenty-one 
knots an hour, and had dashed into a gigantic 
iceberg. In less than a quarter of a minute 
more than three hundred feet of her plates 
had been opened, and the hole was being 
flooded by tons and tons of water. 

The first officer, who was on the bridge, 
had realized too late that the ship was con- 
fronted by a huge mass of ice. He quickly 
ordered the port propeller to be reversed, and 
full speed ahead on the starboard propeller, 
also the water-tight doors to be closed, but 
almost before these orders could be carried 
out came the collision, the great ship run- 
ning upon a spur of the iceberg, which pro- 
truded under the surface of the water. 

The captain ran to the bridge, and at once 
directed the carpenter to sound the ship. 
When his report was received, he ordered the 
wireless operator to send out calls for help. 
The SOS and C Q D signals were picked up 
almost immediately by the Carpathia, which 
was seventy-eight miles away. She learned 
the position of the Titanic, and proceeded at 
once to her assistance. 



THE TITANIC DISASTER 327 

Such was the faith of the passengers in the 
absolute safety of the Titanic under any cir- 
cumstances, that they had no thought of dan- 
ger, and, indeed, but few of them were awake. 
The captain knew that their peril would be 
greatly increased if they should be panic- 
stricken, so no information as to what had ac- 
tually happened was given to any of them. 

At length, realizing from the reports which 
he was receiving from below that the ship was 
really sinking, the captain gave orders for the 
passengers to be assembled on deck. And 
even when they were first gathered together 
the belief of most of them in the unsinkabil- 
ity of the great steamship was unshaken. 
Some of them even complained at having been 
requested to leave their comfortable cabins. 

The ship listed to starboard, and was set- 
tling rapidly forward. The steam sirens were 
now blowing, the engines working at pumping 
out the water, and rockets were sent up from 
the bridge. The captain rushed one of the 
officers below to see how fast the water was 
coming in, and directed him to place armed 
guards over the engineers and stokers to see 



328 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

that they kept at their posts. (Happily, the 
latter order proved to be entirely unneces- 
sary.) And still the passengers were not 
alarmed. 

The officer soon returned, reporting that the 
bottom was filling quickly, and that the locks 
on the water-tight doors were useless, all hav- 
ing been sprung. 

At this the captain ordered that all the pas- 
sengers put on life-belts, and now came the 
first real feeling of fear among them. On 
both the steerage and the upper decks the of- 
ficers ordered the women and children to be 
separated from the men, the former to muster 
on the boat-deck. Lifeboats and collapsible 
boats were made ready, and their crews 
shipped. The cry rang out: "Women and 
children first," and, to their honor, the men 
either stood calmly by, or assisted the women 
and children into the boats, which they helped 
to lower into the water. Only once was there 
anything like a panic, and this was when a 
few foreign immigrants among the steerage 
passengers attempted to force their way into 
one of the boats. An officer ordered them to 



THE TITANIC DISASTER 329 

stand back and make way for the women. 
They persisted, and he fired two shots, and 
this ended the confusion. 

To cheer the women who were leaving their 
husbands, and the men who were staying be- 
hind, the orchestra played lively tunes. He- 
roes all were the musicians. 

And heroes were the engineers and stokers, 
who labored hard in their appointed places, 
keeping the engines going so that the pumps 
could continue working, and the dynamos run- 
ning to supply electricity for the wireless, and 
light for all. 

Heroes also were the two Marconi opera- 
tors, J. G. Phillips and Harold Bride, who 
continued to send out messages to the very end. 
Other ships than the Carpathia had received 
the calls for help, and sent word that they 
were hastening to the rescue. The Allan liner 
Virginia, 170 miles away; the Baltic, 200 
miles to the eastward; the Olympic, at a dis- 
tance of 300 miles, received the latitude and 
longitude of the Titanic, and these and other 
ships were headed for the spot. 

The captain at length warned the operators 



330 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

that the dynamos would not hold out much 
longer, telling them that they had done their 
full duty. Phillips refused to leave the keys, 
and Bride, thinking of his friend's safety, left 
the cabin and secured lifebelts for both of 
them. They were notified to leave their post, 
for they could do no more. The water had 
reached the wireless room, but still the. two 
courageous men waited. Phillips went down 
with the ship, losing his life in his gallant ef- 
fort to save others. Bride reached the deck 
at the last moment. 

All of the boats had now left the ship, but 
there were about fifteen hundred souls still 
on board, for whom there had been no room 
in the boats. The orchestra was still heard, 
but they were playing hymns now, which 
many of those left behind joined in singing. 

The scene now is almost beyond imagina- 
tion. The stern of the Titanic towered high 
in the air. From one of the great funnels came 
a mass of sparks and smoke; one by one the 
engines broke loose, the boilers exploding 
with terrific noise. The captain had stuck to 
the bridge until carried away by the rising 



THE TITANIC DISASTER 331 

water, and his last words were: "Every man 
save himself." 

The boats were a few hundred yards from 
the ship, out of danger from the suction, 
awaiting the end. What a sight for those 
who had been saved from destruction! There 
was the great mass standing out of the water 
like a tower, the lights which still beamed 
brilliantly showing human beings clinging 
desperately to whatever they could hold on 
to. They heard the sharp crack of the decks 
as they bent and broke; heard the explosions 
which followed one another in quick succes- 
sion, and, worst of all, the shouts and cries 
of loved ones left behind. 

The great ship, this wonder of the ocean, 
disappeared beneath the water, and where the 
Titanic had been were hundreds of people 
struggling for life. 

There were still more acts of heroism 
shown. Some of the men managed to swim to 
a boat, and on finding that it was already over- 
crowded, rather than imperil the safety of its 
occupants, they deliberately turned away, and 
sank in the icy water. 



332 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The survivors in the boats, suffering men- 
tally and physically, were rescued by the Car- 
pathia about 5.30 A. M. The Titanic had on 
board two thousand three hundred and one 
souls, and of these seven hundred and twenty 
were saved, several of whom died later as a 
result of shock and exposure. She struck the 
iceberg at 11.40 P. M., Sunday, April 14th, 
and sank about two and a half hours later. 

Many men and women distinguished them- 
selves by their coolness and bravery while 
the tragedy was being enacted, especially Ma- 
jor Archibald Butt, whose soldierly courage 
was of the greatest help to Captain Smith and 
his officers in directing the work of saving the 
women and children. 

At the very time of the sinking of the Ti- 
tanic, the intrepid members of the orchestra 
were playing the beautiful and appropriate 
hymn, "Autumn." 

God of mercy and compassion, 

Look with pity on my pain; 
Hear a mournful, broken spirit 

Prostrate at Thy feet complain. 



THE TITANIC DISASTER 333 

Many are my foes, and mighty; 

Strength to conquer have I none; 
Nothing can uphold my goings 

But Thy blessed Self alone. 

Saviour, look on Thy beloved, 

Triumph over all my foes; 
Turn to heavenly joy my mourning, 

Turn to gladness all my woes; 
Live or die, or work or suffer, 

Let my weary soul abide, 
In all changes whatsoever, 

Sure and steadfast by Thy side. 

When temptations fierce assault me, 

When my enemies I find, 
Sin and guilt and death and Satan, 

All against my soul combined, 
Hold me up in mighty waters, 

Keep my eyes on things above — 
Righteousness, divine atonement, 

Peace and everlasting love. 



SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 

The strength of the monsoon had blown 

over, and Captain M , in pursuance of 

his orders, beat across the Bay of Bengal for 
the Straits of Sumatra, where he expected to 
fall in with some of the enemy's privateers, 
who obtained their supplies of water in that 
direction. After cruising for six weeks, with- 
out success, they fell in with an armed Eng- 
lish vessel, who informed them that she had 
been chased by a large pirate proa, and had 
narrowly escaped — acquainting Captain 

M with the islet from which she had 

sailed out in pursuit of them, and to which 
she had in all probability returned. 

Captain M , naturally anxious to scour 

the seas of these cruel marauders, who showed 
no quarter to those who had the misfortune 

334 



SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 335 

to fall into their hands, determined to pro- 
ceed in quest of this vessel, and, after a week's 
unsuccessful reconnoitre of the various islets 
which cover the seas in that quarter, one 
morning discovered from the mast-head, on 
his weather beam, a proa sailing and rowing 
down towards the frigate, to ascertain whether 
she was a vessel that she might attack. 

The Aspasia was disguised as much as pos- 
sible, and the pirates were induced to ap- 
proach within a distance of two miles, when, 
perceiving their mistake, they lowered their 
sails, and, turning the head of their vessel in 
the opposite direction, pulled away from the 
frigate, right in the wind's eye. The breeze 
freshened, and all possible sail was crowded 
on the Aspasia to overtake them, and, al- 
though, at the close of the day, they had not 
neared her much, the bright moon enabled 
them to keep the vessel in view during the 
night. Early in the morning (the crew being 
probably exhausted from their incessant la- 
bour) she kept away for some islets broad 
upon the Aspasia' s weather bow, and came to 
an anchor in a small cove between the rocks, 



336 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

which sheltered her from the guns of the fri- 
gate. 

Captain M considered it his duty at all 

risk to destroy the proa; and hoisting out the 
boats, he gave the command to his first lieu- 
tenant, with strict injunctions how to deal 
with such treacherous and ferocious enemies. 
The launch was under repair at the time, and 
could not be employed; but the barge, pin- 
nace, and two cutters were considered fully 
adequate to the service. Courtenay was sec- 
ond in command in the pinnace; Seymore had 
charge of the cutter; and, at his own par- 
ticular request, Prose was entrusted with the 
other. 

"I do declare, I think that I should like 
to go," observed Prose when he first heard 
that the vessel was to be cut out. 

"Why, you ought, Prose," replied Sey- 
more; "you have never been on service yet." 

"No — and you and I are the only two 
passed midshipmen in the ship." (Seymore 
and Prose had both passed their examinations 
when the Aspasia was at Bombay.) "I think 
I have a right to one of the boats," 



SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 337 

So thought the first lieutenant, when he 
made his application, and he obtained the 
command accordingly. 

The boats shoved off as soon as the men had 
swallowed their breakfasts, and in less than an 
hour were but a short distance from the proa, 
which proved to be one of the largest size. 
A discharge of landgrage from one of the two 
long brass guns mounted on her prow flew 
amongst the boats without taking effect. A 
second discharge was more destructive, three 
of the men in the boat which Prose com- 
manded being struck down, bleeding, under 
the thwarts — the oars, which they had not re- 
linquished their hold of when they fell, being 
thrown high up in air. 

"Halloa! I say — all catching crabs to- 
gether?" cried Prose. 

"Caught something worse than a crab, sir," 
replied the coxswain. "Wilson, are you much 
hurt?" 

"The rascals have let daylight in, I'm 
afraid," answered the man, faintly. 

"Well, I do declare, I'd no idea the poor 
fellows were wounded. Coxswain, take one 



338 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

of the oars, and I'll steer the boat, or we shall 
never get alongside. I say, Mr. Jolly, can't 
you pull?" 

"Yes, sir, upon a pinch," answered the ma- 
rine whom he addressed, laying his musket 
on the stern-sheets, and taking one of the un- 
manned oars. 

"Well, there now, give away." 

But the delay occasioned by this mishap had 
left the cutter far astern of the other boats, 
who, paying no attention to her, had pulled 
alongside, and boarded the vessel. The con- 
flict was short, from the superior numbers of 
the English, and the little difficulty in getting 
on board of a vessel with so low a gunwale. 
By the time that Prose came alongside in the 
cutter the pirates were either killed, or had 
been driven below. Prose jumped on the gun- 
wale, flourishing his cutlass — from the gun- 
wale he sprang on the deck, which was not 
composed of planks, as in vessels in general, 
but of long bamboos running fore and aft, and 
lashed together with rattans; and as Prose de- 
scended upon the rounded surface, which hap- 
pened where he alighted to be slippery with 



SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 339 

blood, his feet were thrown up, and he came 
down on the deck in a sitting posture. 

"Capital jump, Mr. Prose," cried Courte- 
nay; "but you have arrived too late to shed 
your blood in your country's cause — very an- 
noying, ain't it?" 

"O Lord! — O Lord! — I do declare — oh — 
oh — oh!" roared Prose, attempting to recover 
his feet, and then down again. 

"Good heavens, what's the matter, Prose?" 
cried Seymore, running to his assistance. 

"Oh, Lord!— oh, Lord!— another— oh!"— 
again cried Prose, making a half spring from 
the deck, from which he was now raised from 
by Seymour, who again inquired what was the 
matter? Prose could not speak — he pointed 
his hand behind him, and his head fell upon 
Seymour's shoulder. 

"He's wounded, sir," observed one of the 
men who had joined Seymour, pointing to the 
blood which ran from the trousers of Prose 
in a little rivulet. "Be quick, Mr. Seymour, 
and get on the gunwale, or they'll have you 
too." The fact was, that the deck being com- 
posed of bamboos, as already described, one 



34Q THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

of the pirates below had passed his creese 
through the spaces between them into Prose's 
body when he came down on deck in a sitting 
posture, and had repeated the blow when he 
failed to recover his feet after the first wound. 

One of the seamen, who had not provided 
himself with shoes, now received a severe 
wound ; and after Prose had been handed into 
one of the boats, a consultation was held as to 
the most eligible method of proceeding. 

It was soon decided that it would be the 
extreme of folly to attack such desperate peo- 
ple below, where they would have a great ad- 
vantage with their creeses over the cutlasses 
of the seamen; and as there appeared no 
chance of inducing them to come up, it was 
determined to cut the cables, and tow the ves- 
sel alongside of the frigate, who could sink her 
with a broadside. 

The cables were cut, and a few men being 
left on board to guard the hatchways, the boats 
commenced towing out; but scarcely had they 
got way on her when, to their astonishment, 
a thick smoke was followed by flames bursting 
with a rapidity that seemed incredible. From 



SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 341 

the deck the fire mounted to the rigging; 
thence to the masts and sails, and before the 
boats could be backed astern to take them out, 
those who had been left were forced to leap 
into the sea to save themselves from the de- 
vouring element. The pirates had themselves 
set fire to the vessel. Most of them remained 
below, submitting to suffocation with sullen 
indifference. Some few, in the agony of com- 
bustion, were perceived, through the smoke, 
to leap overboard, and seek in preference a 
less painful death. The boats laid upon their 
oars, and witnessed the scene in silence and 
astonishment. 

"Desperate and determined to the last," ob- 
served the first lieutenant. 

In a few minutes the proa, whose fabric 
was of the slightest materials, filled, and went 
down. The last column of smoke, divided 
from her by the water, ascended in the air 
as she sunk down below, and nought remained 
but a few burnt fragments of bamboo, which 
lay floating on the wave. A few seconds after 
the vessel had disappeared, one of the pirates 
rose on the surface. 



342 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

'There is a man alive yet," observed Cour- 
tenay. "Let us save him if we can." 

The boat, by his directions, pulled a few 
strokes of the oars, and, having rather too 
much way, shot ahead, so as to bring the man 
close to the counter of the boat. Courtenay 
leaned over the gunwale to haul him in; the 
malignant wretch grasped him by the collar 
with his left hand, and with his right hand 
darted his creese into Courtenay's breast; 
then, as if satisfied, with an air of mingled 
defiance and derision, immediately sunk un- 
der the bottom of the pinnace, and was seen 
no more. 

"Ungrateful viper!" murmured Courtenay, 
as he fell into the arms of his men. 

The boats hastened back to the frigate; 
they had but few men hurt, except those men- 
tioned in our narrative; but the wounds of 
Courtenay and of Prose were dangerous. The 
creeses of the pirates had been steeped in the 
juice of the pineapple, which, when fresh ap- 
plied, is considered as a deadly poison. The 
Aspasia soon afterwards anchored in Madras 
Roads, and a removal to a more invigorating 



SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 343 

clime was pronounced essential to the recov- 
ery of the two officers. Courtenay and Prose 
were invalided, and sent home in an East In- 
diaman, but it was months before they were 
in a state of convalescence. 



THE LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 

A STORY of military heroism that has to do 
with the sea is the wreck of the Birkenhead. 
It is a thing that for bravery in the face of 
certain death will never be forgotten. 

The Birkenhead had taken a detachment of 
soldiers to Cape Town, in South Africa, dur- 
ing the Kaffir War, in the early part of 1852. 
She left Cape Town by the end of February 
to take another detachment to Algoa Bay. 
There were on board about five hundred sol- 
diers, a number of whom were accompanied 
by their wives and children. Of the crew 
there were one hundred and thirty-two. 

It was a beautiful night; the sea was fairly 
smooth, and the moon and stars were shining 
brightly, showing distinctly the shore, which 
was barely more than three miles away. All 
was quiet, with the exception of the noise 

344 



LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 345 

caused by the paddle wheels as they churned 
the water, and that made by the engines in 
their revolutions. Suddenly there was a shock 
which jarred the whole ship, as she struck 
upon a reef of rocks. The water rushed in 
volumes through the bottom of the boat, 
bringing death to near a hundred men, who 
had been peacefully sleeping in their ham- 
mocks. What a change had come upon the 
scene in the twinkling of an eye! Before, all 
had been calm and quiet, now all was disor- 
der and commotion, and the screaming of 
women and children, thus rudely awakened 
from slumber, was heard. 

The captain hastened to the deck. He saw 
at once that the ship was doomed, and that 
prompt action was all that could save any of 
the lives for which he was, in a way, respon- 
sible. He at once signalled the engineer to 
stop the engines, and ordered that all of the 
boats be lowered, and that the anchor be 
let go. 

Colonel Seton, who was in command of 
the soldiers, also did his part to avoid confu- 
sion. He issued orders that all soldiers and 



346 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

officers assemble on the deck in company or- 
der, and soon they were standing as though on 
parade. Of these he ordered a number to be 
detached to assist in working the pumps; 
others were put to the work of lowering the 
boats; the rest calmly stood at ease. Orders 
were given that women and children should 
be saved first. 

It was unfortunate that just at this time the 
captain of the vessel, who evidently had found 
out the full extent of the damage, ordered 
the engineer to try and back off the rocks, with 
full speed astern. The engines moved, and 
part of the ship slid off the rocks, thereby 
merely hastening the end, for another hole 
was made immediately under the engine, into 
which the water rushed. If there was hope 
before, there was none now. 

And now was a display of heroism such as 
but seldom is witnessed. The men helped 
the women and children into the boats, know- 
ing that by doing this they could not save 
themselves. Colonel Seton, perhaps fearing 
that the temptation to save their own lives 
might be too much for his men, stood on deck 



LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 347 

with his sword drawn. But he need have 
had no fear, for not a soldier stirred from 
his post. Those who had been told to work, 
worked their hardest, well knowing, as they 
did, that it would not be themselves who 
would be saved by their own efforts. All the 
soldiers stood still to the last, calmly awaiting 
their fate. 

The women and children were safe in the 
boats; the Birkenhead was fast breaking up, 
but not a man quailed, nor sought to save him- 
self. Those of the soldiers who had assisted 
in manning the pumps were now ordered to 
join their comrades. This was quietly and 
quickly done, and there they stood on the poop 
deck steadfastly awaiting the end which they 
knew must soon come. 

The captain of the vessel called out for all 
those who were left to jump overboard, but 
Colonel Seton and his officers knew that this 
would imperil the boats which were already 
loaded, because the men in the water would 
naturally endeavor to catch hold of them, and 
this would probably overturn them. This 
danger they pointed out to the motionless he- 



348 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

roes, and, to the everlasting glory of these sol- 
diers, not a man moved from the ranks. All 
the more so because the colonel did not make 
this an order, but merely a request. The ship 
had now broken in two, and the fore part sunk, 
so that only half of the vessel was out of 
water. The stern tilted more and more and 
then suddenly, with a terrible roll, the half of 
the ship upon which they were standing 
slipped from the rock, and was swallowed by 
the sea. Captain Salmond, commander of the 
Birkenhead, who had stuck to the ship with 
the soldiers, was struck by a piece of wreck- 
age, rendered unconscious, and drowned. 

Where the ship had been was now a mass 
of struggling men. Part of the mainmast was 
standing out of the water, and to this perhaps 
four men were clinging. Others were striv- 
ing to catch hold of pieces of wood which 
were floating about. To add to the horror of 
the scene, many sharks appeared, and these 
took toll of many who were now wrestling for 
their lives. 

In the meantime the three boats made for 
the shore, it being the intention to land those 



LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 349 

who had been saved, and then return to the 
scene of the wreck to pick up the survivors. 
The cutter, largest of the boats, led the way, 
and on nearing the shore it was almost over- 
turned by the huge breakers, among which it 
was well-nigh helpless. Only expert seaman- 
ship enabled the master's assistant, who was 
in charge, to take the cutter out of the raging 
surf. Directing the other boats to wait, he 
followed the coast for several miles, seeking 
a spot where they might safely land, but no 
place was found. 

Morning dawned, and a schooner was 
sighted. The cutter made after her, those on 
board hoping to attract her attention. But 
in this they failed, and the schooner was soon 
out of sight. Weary and heart-sick at this 
disappointment, they made their way back 
towards the land, on the way passing the scene 
of the wreck. Not a man was there. Had 
they been rescued during the night by some 
passing ship, or had none of them had suffi- 
cient strength to retain hold upon the wreck- 
age? Or, gruesome thought, had the fear- 
some sharks been the means of their end? 



350 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Just then one of the men saw the schooner 
again, and this time their signal was answered. 
She soon reached them, and those in the cut- 
ter were overjoyed to see on board the oc- 
cupants of the other two boats. 

They went up and down the coast looking 
for possible survivors of the wreck, but none 
was found. After a thorough search, the 
schooner set out for Simon's Bay, having on 
board one hundred and sixteen who had been 
saved from the Birkenhead. 

But not all who had remained on board 
the ill-fated vessel were lost. Some who had 
taken hold of the mainmast fell into the sea 
and were drowned, having been forced 
through sheer exhaustion to loosen their hold. 
Others, clinging to bits of the wreckage, had 
been carried through the surf, and so reached 
shore. Some, alas, had been killed by sharks. 

With the dawning light, those who had had 
strength to retain their grasp upon the mast 
all through that dreadful night were re- 
warded by the sight of a ship sailing in their 
direction. They were seen, and a rescuing 
party soon had them on board. 



LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 351 

Of six hundred and thirty-one souls who 
had been on the ill-fated Birkenhead, four 
hundred and forty lost their lives, but among 
these was not one woman or child. 

As long as the world endures, the story of 
those heroes who willingly gave up their own 
lives to save others will not be forgotten. The 
story of the Birkenhead is an everlasting 
monument to the gallant soldiers and sailors 
who gave to the world so magnificent an ex- 
ample of true courage. 



AMONG THE ICEBERGS 

For ten days we had fine weather and light 
winds, but a southerly gale sprung up and 
drove us to the northward, and then I then 
found out what it was to be at sea. Of course 
I had to do duty, as before, aloft; and fol- 
lowing Derrick's advice was of service, or, 
one night, while furling topsails, and when 
the ship was pitching tremendously, I should 
certainly have been killed. On a sudden I 
found myself jerked right off the yard; but I 
fortunately had hold of the gasket, which I 
was passing round the mizzen topsail, and by 
it hauled myself up again, and finished the 
work. After the gale had lasted a week, the 
wind came round from the northward, and 
bitter cold it was. We then stood on rather 
further to the north than the usual track, I be- 
lieve. 

352 



AMONG THE ICEBERGS 353 

It was night, and blowing fresh. The sky 
was overcast, and there was no moon, so that 
darkness was on the face of the deep — not to- 
tal darkness, it must be understood, for that 
is seldom known at sea. I was in the middle 
watch, from midnight to four o'clock, and 
had been on deck about half-an-hour when 
the lookout forward sang out, "Ship ahead — 
starboard — hard-a-starboard !" 

These words made the second mate, who 
had the watch, jump into the weather rigging. 
"A ship!" he exclaimed. "An iceberg it is, 

rather, and All hands wear ship," he 

shouted in a tone which showed there was 
not a moment to lose. 

The watch sprang to the braces and bow- 
lines while the rest of the crew tumbled up 
from below, and the captain and other offi- 
cers rushed out of their cabins: the helm was 
kept up, and the yards swung round, and the 
ship's head turned towards the direction 
whence we had come. The captain glanced 
his eye round, and then ordered the courses 
to be brailed up, and the topsail to be backed, 
so as to lay the ship to. I soon discovered 



354 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

the cause of these manoeuvres; for before the 
ship had quite wore round I perceived close 
to us a towering mass with a refulgent ap- 
pearance, which the lookout man had taken 
for the white sails of a ship, but which had 
proved in reality to be a vast iceberg; and 
attached to it, and extending a considerable 
distance to leeward, was a field of very exten- 
sive floes of ice, against which the ship would 
have run had it not been discovered in time, 
and would in all probability instantly have 
gone down with every one on board. 

In consequence of the extreme darkness it 
was dangerous to sail either way: for it was 
impossible to say what other floes or smaller 
cakes of ice might be in the neighbourhood, 
and we might probably be on them before 
they could be seen. We therefore remained 
hove-to. As it was, I could not see the floe 
till it was pointed out to me by Derrick. 

When daylight broke the next morning, the 
dangerous position in which the ship was 
placed was seen. On every side of us ap- 
peared large floes of ice, with several icebergs 
floating like mountains on a plain among 



AMONG THE ICEBERGS 355 

them; while the only opening through which 
we could escape was a narrow passage to the 
northeast, through which we must have come. 
What made our position more perilous was 
that the vast masses of ice were approaching 
nearer and nearer to each other, so that we 
had not a moment to lose if we would effect 
our escape. 

As the light increased we saw, at the dis- 
tance of three miles to the westward, another 
ship in a far worse predicament then we were, 
inasmuch as she was completely surrounded 
by ice, though she still floated in a sort of 
basin. The wind held to the northward, so 
that we could stand clear out of the passage 
should it remain open long enough. She by 
this time had discovered her own perilous 
condition, as we perceived that she had hoisted 
a signal of distress, and we heard the guns 
she was firing to call our attention to her; but 
regard to our own safety compelled us to dis- 
regard them till we had ourselves got clear 
of the ice. 

It was very dreadful to watch the stranger, 
and to feel that we could render her no assist- 



356 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

ance. All hands were at the braces, ready 
to trim the sails should the wind head us; for 
in that case we should have to beat out of the 
channel, which was every instant growing nar- 
rower and narrower. The captain stood at 
the weather gangway, conning the ship. 
When he saw the ice closing in on us, he or- 
dered every stitch of canvas the ship could 
carry to be set on her, in hopes of carrying 
her out before this could occur. It was a 
chance, whether or not we should be nipped. 
However, I was not so much occupied with 
our own danger as not to keep an eye on the 
stranger, and to feel a deep interest in her 
fate. 

I was in the mizzen-top, and as I possessed 
a spy-glass I could see clearly all that oc- 
curred. The water on which she floated was 
nearly smooth, though covered with foam, 
caused by the masses of ice as they approached 
each other. I looked; she had but a few 
fathoms of water on either side of her. As 
yet she floated unharmed. The peril was 
great; but the direction of the ice might 
change, and she might yet be free. Still, on 



AMONG THE ICEBERGS 357 

it came with terrible force; and I fancied 
that I could hear the edges grinding and 
crushing together. 

The ice closed on the ill-fated ship. She 
was probably as totally unprepared to resist 
its pressure as we were. At first I thought 
that it lifted her bodily up; but it was not so, 
I suspect. She was too deep in the water for 
that. Her sides were crushed in, her stout 
timbers were rent into a thousand fragments 
— her tall masts tottered and fell, though still 
attached to the hull. For an instant I con- 
cluded that the ice must have separated, or 
perhaps the edges broke with the force of the 
concussion; for, as I gazed, the wrecked mass 
of hull and spars and canvas seemed drawn 
suddenly downwards with irresistible force, 
and a few fragments which had been hurled 
by the force of the concussion to a distance 
were all that remained of the hapless vessel. 
Not a soul of her crew could have had time to 
escape to the ice. 

I looked anxiously: not a speck could be 
seen stirring near the spot. Such, thought I, 
may be the fate of the four hundred and forty 



358 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

human beings on board this ship ere many 
minutes more are over. 

I believe that I was the only person on 
board who witnessed the catastrophe. Most 
of the emigrants were below, and the few who 
were on deck were with the crew watching 
our own progress. 

Still narrower grew the passage. Some of 
the parts we had passed through were already 
closed. The wind, fortunately, held fair; and 
though it contributed to drive the ice faster in 
on us, it yet favoured our escape. The ship 
flew through the water at a great rate, heel- 
ing over to her ports; but though at times it 
seemed as if the masts would go over the 
sides, still the captain held on. A minute's 
delay might prove our destruction. 

Every one held their breaths, as the width 
of the passage decreased, though we had but 
a short distance more to make good before we 
should be free. 

I must confess that all the time I did not 
myself feel any sense of fear. I thought it 
was a danger more to be apprehended for 
others than for myself. At length a shout 



AMONG THE ICEBERGS 359 

from the deck reached my ears, and, looking 
round, I saw that we were on the outside of 
the floe. We were just in time, for, the in- 
stant after, the ice met, and the passage 
through which we had come was completely 
closed up. The order was now given to keep 
the helm up and to square away the yards; 
and with a flowing sheet we ran down the edge 
of the ice for upwards of three miles before 
we were clear of it. 

Only then did the people begin to enquire 
what had become of the ship we had lately 
seen. I gave my account, but few expressed 
any great commiseration for the fate of those 
who were lost. Our captain had had enough 
of ice, so he steered a course to get as fast 
as possible into more southern latitudes. This 
I may consider the first adventure I met with 
in my nautical career. 



THE MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 

In the latter part of the eighteenth century 
the good ship Bounty, commanded by Lieu- 
tenant Bligh, set sail from Spithead, bound 
for the scene of Captain Cook's discoveries in 
the Pacific. 

Two expert botanists were attached to the 
expedition with the object of studying the 
vegetation of the South Sea Islands. These, 
with the crew and officers, made a total of 
forty-six souls on board. 

Almost from the commencement of the voy- 
age rough weather was experienced. Gale 
succeeded gale, and nearly a year had elapsed 
before the island of Otaheite was reached. 

The natives were pleased at the arrival of 

the white men, for they had known and loved 

Captain Cook, the explorer, and they did 

everything they could to show Lieutenant 

360 



MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 361 

Bligh and his sailors that they were wel- 
come. 

After a stay of several months at Otaheite 
the anchor was weighed, and the Bounty left 
to cruise among the other islands of the south- 
ern Pacific. 

The commander of the expedition was a 
man of harsh and ungovernable temper, and 
cruel and vindictive to those who aroused his 
displeasure. Most of the crew at one time or 
another had suffered as a result of his ill-tem- 
per, and the time came when they could stand 
his ill-treatment no longer. 

A special object of his wrath was Fletcher 
Christian, one of his officers, and one day 
when Christian happened to be in charge of 
the watch, the lieutenant missed some fruit 
from the deck. He flew into a terrible pas- 
sion, berated the officer in a manner beyond 
all reason, and then said that he would make 
life so unbearable for the crew that they 
would be glad to throw themselves overboard. 
This outbreak was the last straw so far as 
Christian was concerned, and he at once made 
up his mind to desert the ship, and with this 



362 THE SAPPHIRE STOPvY BOOK 

end in view he soon began the construction of 
a raft. 

Many of the crew knew of his intention, 
and the idea came to one of them to seize the 
ship. He spoke to some of his mates, and 
before long plans were made which included 
most of the ship's company. 

The same night several of the sailors, witK 
Christian at their head, surprised the lieuten- 
ant in his cabin, and, binding his hands behind 
him, forced him on deck. At the same time 
the others in the plot were busy securing those 
who were not in sympathy with the mutiny. 

Arms, bread, water, and clothing were 
placed in a boat, and into this Bligh and 
eighteen of the crew, who had not joined the 
mutineers, were forced. 

The nineteen men were truly in a desperate 
plight. The nearest land where they might 
look for help was the island of Timor, 
nearly four thousand miles away. There they 
were in an open boat, in the middle of the 
vast Pacific Ocean. A dreary prospect, in- 
deed. 

The mutineers had taken the precaution to 



MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 363 

forcibly detain on board three officers who 
possessed a knowledge of navigation, but who 
were not in sympathy with the casting adrift 
of their commander, much as they disliked 
him. These were ordered to take the ship 
back to Otaheite. 

The castaways took careful stock of their 
provisions, and it was decided that each man 
should be placed upon an allowance of one 
ounce of bread and half-a-pint of water a day. 
It was calculated that with very good fortune 
the food they had would thus last until they 
reached Timor. It meant practically starva- 
tion, but it was the best that could be done 
under the circumstances, and after some con- 
siderable argument each man agreed to the 
condition. 

It seems impossible that this small boat, 
weighed down by its load of men almost to 
the level of the water, should reach the goal 
nearly four thousand miles away, but the mira- 
cle happened, and in time the island of Timor 
was sighted. The pitiful condition of the men 
when they landed may be imagined ; they were 
more like skeletons than human beings. 



364 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The people of the island did all they could 
for them, but only thirteen lived to make their 
way back to England, where the story of their 
sufferings attracted the greatest attention. In 
his version of the mutiny Lieutenant Bligh 
did not fail to dwell upon his kindness to all 
the men under his command, and his inability 
to give any reason for the cruel treatment ac- 
corded to him and his fellow sufferers. As 
a measure of compensation, he was given a 
raise in rank. 

aJc j3& j& Jfe £te> •& j& 

The mutineers of the Bounty, having rid 
themselves of the tyrannical Bligh, and those 
who went with him, elected Fletcher Chris- 
tian to be their commander, and set out for 
Otaheite. They told the islanders that their 
ship had fallen in with Captain Cook, and 
that Lieutenant Bligh and eighteen of their 
crew were with him. They themselves had 
been sent back to Otaheite for provisions, and 
these the natives gave them in abundance, 
being overjoyed to learn that their friend, 
Captain Cook, was still alive. 

Being plentifully supplied with food, 



MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 365 

Christian set sail for the island of Toobonai, 
taking with him about twenty Otaheitans. 

As soon as the Bounty reached Toobonai, 
the mutineers landed and built a fort, because 
the people of the island were not well-dis- 
posed towards the white men. And before 
long they had good cause to regret their com- 
ing, because the sailors ill-treated them, try- 
ing to make them their slaves. The natives 
turned against them, and drove them from the 
island, and soon the Bounty was on the way to 
Otaheite again. 

More than half of the men decided to re- 
main at Otaheite, and Christian, with the 
others, sailed away. This was in September, 
1789, and many years passed before anything 
more was heard of either ship or crew. 

About twenty-five years later a British 
cruiser touched at the lonely island of Pit- 
cairn, and on the shore was found a handsome 
young white man who addressed the sailors 
in excellent English. On being asked his 
name, he replied, "Thursday October Chris- 
tian." 



366 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The island was found to be inhabited by 
forty-six people, and investigation showed 
that they were the descendants of those of 
the mutineers who had sailed from the Ota- 
heite on board the Bounty. 



THE TESTING OF A MAN 

The wind backed round into the northwest, 
with an awfully hideous sea which made the 
deeply-laden Sealark strain and labour as if 
she would loosen her plates. Captain Jenkins, 
full of care for his charge, saw to it that all 
the sails were well secured, all the mast sup- 
ports well looked to by means of preventer 
backstays, and, in short, everything done that 
a good sailor could think of for the safety of 
the vessel and all on board under any circum- 
stances of the weather. For he knew how 
low the glass had fallen, and he felt the 
need of preparing for the worst possible 
eventuality. 

At last the weather grew so bad, and the 
wind so high, that the carrying of any sail was 
impossible, and so the Sealark lay hove-to un- 
der bare poles, with just a tarpaulin in the 

367 



368 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

mizzen rigging to keep her head from falling 
off and leaving her in the trough of the enor- 
mous sea then running. 

It was a gale that will be long remembered 
in shipping annals for the enormous destruc- 
tion of property and loss of life at sea, a regu- 
lar tropical hurricane raging in the tempe- 
rate zone and just where the greatest traffic in 
the world congregates, outward and home- 
ward bound. It blew so hard that the Sea- 
lark lay down with her lee rail under water, 
deeply laden as she was, and refused to rise; 
while the sea smiting her weather side was 
caught by the furious tempest and hurled high 
over her mast's head in great sheets of spume. 
Then is the time when the weak spots show 
and when faithful work proves its worth, for 
one small mishap at such a time may, and 
often does, lead to the loss of the ship and the 
lives of all hands. 

So day faded into night with no relief, while 
all hands hung on to their patience, as it were, 
thankful for a staunch ship and a fairly good 
cargo. But, oh! the weary hours of the night. 
A man does get so weary of the ravenous roar 



TESTING OF A MAN 369 

of the wind, the unceasing assault of the 
mighty sea, does long so for a little respite. 
Day, moreover, broke again over an ocean 
that was one expanse of white, for the sea 
seemed mingling with the sky, its very surface 
torn off by the ferocious wind. It was impos- 
sible to see for any distance through the hiss- 
ing spray, two or three hundred yards at the 
most, and yet they craved for further vision, 
it was so lonely. Then suddenly there was a 
slight lull, the ship eased up a little, and the 
sky cleared temporarily, although it was still 
blowing a tremendous gale. 

And into their circle of sight there came 
an object of pity, awakening a passionate de- 
sire to do something at any risk whatever for 
the help of their fellowmen. It was a vessel 
of about the same size as themselves, but of 
wood, and by the appearance of her very near 
the foundering point. Her three masts, bul- 
warks and boats were gone, she was just a mere 
hulk upon the terrible sea; but upon the high- 
est part of her, lashed to the stanchions of the 
departed bulwarks, which showed up like a 
set of broken teeth, were visible the cowering 



370 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

forms of her crew, visible, that is, at intervals, 
when the incessant spray which fell over them 
became thinner than usual. The word went 
quickly round the Sealark, and all hands 
rushed on deck, staring with bated breath on 
the pitiful sight, and glancing anxiously at 
the skipper between whiles to see what he 
might be going to do. 

Poor man, it was an anxious time for him, 
for his ship was quite unmanageable, as he 
dared not make sail. True, the derelict was 
to leeward of him, and a boat could reach her 
without very great danger; but unless the 
wind let up soon, the getting of that boat back 
was an obvious impossibility. However, 
there was no question about the urgency of 
the matter, for at every scend of the sea it 
would be noticed that the unfortunate craft 
had settled deeper, had less buoyancy. So, 
pulling himself together, Captain Jenkins 
shouted at the pitch of his great voice, "Who 
will volunteer to go and try and save those 
men from drowning?" 

There was only a momentary hesitation, 
and then four men stepped forward. They 



TESTING OF A MAN 371 

were the two Scotchmen, Hansen, and one of 
the Welshmen, the other being at the 
wheel. 

Then the second mate looked up at the 
skipper, and said quite coolly, "I shall want 
another man, sir." 

He had hardly uttered the words when 
Frank (sea apprentice), who had been watch- 
ing the wreck with indescribable feelings, 
sprang forward and said, "Let me go, sir; I 
would have offered before, but I was afraid 
you would not let me go." 

The skipper shook his head sadly, and said, 
"I'm afraid it's no place for you, my 
boy." 

But Frank bounded up the ladder to his 
side, and said gaspingly, "I'm as strong as 
any of those men, sir, and you know I can pull 
a good oar. Besides, I want to show the sec- 
ond mate, sir " 

That was all, but the skipper nodded "All 
right," and immediately all hands were busy 
getting the boat out, a difficult and heavy task 
in a ship like that, where the boats are seldom 
carried ready for launching. But by dint of 



372 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

hard work and eagerness she was got all ready 
for lowering in fifteen minutes. 

"Now, Mr. Jacks," roared the skipper, "all 
I've got to say is, keep your eye on that ship 
and see that she doesn't go down while you're 
alongside, and take you all with her. As soon 
as ever I see you have reached her, I'll keep 
away and run down to leeward at any risks, 
so that you can run down to me as you are 
going to do to her, and may God grant that 
you save 'em all and yourselves too. Off 
you go." 

The six of them got into the boat as she 
hung by a single bridle from a mainyard 
tackle, a steady shove off and she touched the 
seething surface almost instantly. The man 
at the tackle fall let go, and, as the barque 
heeled over, one hand in the boat unhooked 
the tackle and hove it clear, while the sea 
surging up beneath the vessel's bottom bore 
the boat a hundred yards to leeward at a sin- 
gle sweep. The second mate at the tiller 
kept her off before the wind, ordering the men 
to ship their oars and hold the blades high 
out of water by depressing the looms, with the 



TESTING OF A MAN 373 

effect that the boat sped away as if under a 
press of sail. 

There was no time to be afraid had the 
crew been ever so fearful, and in addition they 
all felt at once that they were being steered 
by a master in the science of boat-handling. It 
seemed but a minute or two before she reached 
the wallowing vessel, and as she fled under 
the stern the second mate shouted to his port 
oarsmen to pull for their very lives, starboard 
oarsmen to ship their oars and watch for a 
rope. The boat spun round right up into the 
smooth, and at the same moment a coil of 
rope was hove into her from the derelict, 
which was caught and held. 

But now the boat's position was full of peril, 
for the derelict's decks on the lee side were 
under water, and some ugly fragments of 
spars, still attached by the lee rigging, were 
trembling about and threatening the boat with 
destruction. It was quite impossible to get 
close alongside, and yet every moment was 
precious, while the poor fellows, so close to 
rescue, and yet confronted with that terrible 
few feet of boiling foam and jagged trembling 



374 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

spars, were in an agony of doubt. But their 
natural hesitation was solved by a huge sea 
which, bursting over the weather side, washed 
full half of their number overboard, as they 
were not then on the lookout for it; and be- 
fore even they themselves had realized what 
had happened, they were clambering into the 
boat. 

The rest were emboldened by what had 
happened, and jumped into the foaming vor- 
tex at the same moment as the second mate 
screamed, "Let go that rope, she's going." 
Happily one of them managed to reach the 
boat's side, and clung to it with desperate 
tenacity, as the heavily laden craft, caught by 
a swell, was swept away clear of that brutal 
entanglement alongside. Only just in time, 
for, as the boat swung off the wind, those in 
the boat, in spite of their efforts to get the 
struggling men who were hanging on the gun- 
wale inboard, could not help seeing the de- 
feated ship give one throe like a Titan in his 
death agony, and, her bow rising high in air, 
she slid down a yawning gulf into darkness 



TESTING OF A MAN 375 

and peace, never again to be seen by the eye 
of man. 

It was a splendid rescue, nobly planned and 
carried out, and all the more impressive be- 
cause of the scanty sum of the moments during 
which it had been effected. And now the 
heavily laden boat must needs be brought to 
the wind and sea, which latter was getting up 
at a most dangerous rate, because it was evi- 
dent that otherwise she would go as fast to 
leeward as the ship to which she belonged. It 
was most fortunate, therefore, that the sec- 
ond mate was so skillful, and, calling upon his 
men to stand by, one side to pull and the other 
to stern on the word, he watched the smooth 
when a big sea had passed, and then shouting 
fit to crack his throat, "Pull port, stern star- 
board," he swung the boat up into the wind, 
and she was safe for the time. 

But she rode very deep, and threatened 
every moment to swamp, only the most ener- 
getic baling keeping her afloat. In addition, 
the air was so thick with spray that they could 
see nothing of the ship, and they could only 



376 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

hope that from her superior height their ship- 
mates were able to keep sight of them. They 
all looked wistfully at the grim face of Mr. 
Jacks, which showed no trace of his great anx- 
iety, and took comfort therefrom. 

On board the ship they had not yet kept 
away, for a tremendous squall had blotted out 
the whole scene, and when it had passed and 
vision was restored for about a square mile, 
there was nothing visible but the small circle 
of white sea and black sky, although all hands 
were straining their eyes to leeward through 
the clouds of spindrift, for sight or sign of the 
devoted little boatload of beings who were at 
present all in all to them. 

Suddenly there was a scream from forward 
heard above the monotonous growl of the 
storm. It was from Johnson, who had 
climbed up inside the lee fore-rigging, and 
had just caught a glimpse of something, he 
knew not what, a black patch on a hill of 
white. But the skipper had heard, and saw 
his pointing arm, and, focussing his glasses on 
the spot for a moment, shouted, "Run that 
fore-topmast staysail up." 



TESTING OF A MAN 377 

All hands flew to obey, and steadily the 
small triangle of sail rose, carefully attended 
as to the sheet, until without a shake it was 
set. "Hard up with that helm, stand by your 
weather braces," were the next orders, while 
springing into the weather mizzen-rigging the 
skipper tore the tarpaulin down which was 
holding her to the wind. Slowly she paid off, 
and gathered way as the yards were checked, 
and presently, to the almost hysterical delight 
of all hands, they saw the boat, a tiny spot in. 
that snowy waste, being tossed like a chip in 
the torrent, looking staunch and seaworthy 
still. 

Down towards her sped the ship now, al- 
though only that rag of sail was set forrard, 
under full steerage control, with the skipper 
clinging in the weather rigging like a bat, 
and conning the vessel with waves of his hand, 
for his voice was useless in that uproar. Down 
past the boat they swept, high on the crest of 
a gigantic wave, while the tiny overloaded 
craft seemed to come in the valley between 
two wave-crests as if sheltering there. 

Then, at the skipper's beckoning hand, 



378 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

some of the fellows rushed aft and hauled out 
the head of the mizzen. Down with the helm, 
no time to watch for smooth seas now, let go 
the fore-topmast staysail halyards, and up 
she comes into the wind, receiving, as she did 
so, the full impact of the terrible sea that 
seemed as if it must crush her into fragments. 
She shuddered in every rivet, but survived ; the 
drivers of those rivets in some far-away ship- 
yard all unconscious of this life and death test- 
ing of their work. 

And there, hove to again under bare poles 
with just the tarpaulin spread as before, she 
lay with all hands straining their eyes for the 
coming of the boat. M r. J acks, watching with 
stern-set face the manceuvres of the ship, fol- 
lowed the passing with orders to stand by the 
oars so that at his word the boat might be 
swung off, and driven before the wind and sea, 
and got under the lee of the waiting ship. 

It was boldly, gallantly, successfully done, 
but not one of them failed to note how hun- 
grily the mighty seas roared around their in- 
significance, but while some felt their hearts 
shrivel within them at the immediate prospect 



TESTING OF A MAN 379 

of dissolution, others, among whom was 
Frank, were elated as the old Vikings at the 
prospect of battle, and would fain have 
shouted for joy. But the weary time of 
watching, and waiting, and noting the onrush 
of each awful sea had tested them to the last 
fiber, and they felt infinitely relieved at the 
change of action for passive endurance. 

Away she sped, flung from crest to hollow 
of the seas, but steered so splendidly by the 
second mate that, although the foam seemed 
to stand above her gunwale in wreaths, noth- 
ing but the spray came over. And they all 
watched the face of the steersman, who 
looked, as indeed he was, a tower of strength, 
confident and able. Just shaving the stern of 
the Sealark by, as it seemed, a hand's breadth, 
he shouted, "Pull port, all you know," and 
the boat shot up alongside, to receive a line 
and be secured. 

Then as she rose and fell, kept away from 
being stove in by the eddying seas coming un- 
der the ship's bottom, one by one, watching 
their opportunity, scrambled on board until, 
all but the second mate and Frank having left 



380 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

her, the bridle was hooked on and many will- 
ing hands swung the gallant craft up into her 
place again. A splendid feat nobly per- 
formed, and one that all those engaged in 
would ever remember as making an elevating 
epoch in their lives. 



THE LAYING OF THE ATLANTIC 
CABLE 

One of the greatest triumphs of all ages was 
the connecting of England and America by 
the Atlantic Cable, and this was brought 
about through the remarkable energy and de- 
termination of two men, Mr. Cyrus Field, of 
America, and Professor William Thomson, 
the noted Scotch scientist. 

It was in July, 1857, tnat tne fi fSt attempt 
was made. Two ships, the Niagara and the 
Agamemnon, carrying between them nearly 
three thousand miles of steel cable, left Va- 
lentia, the most westerly point on the coast 
of Ireland, for the voyage across the great At- 
lantic Ocean. 

The men who conceived the enterprise were 
ridiculed by many who considered them to be 

merely foolish enthusiasts, but time showed 

381 



382 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

that their lofty ambitions were practical, and 
that their ideals for the advantage of mankind 
would be realized. 

The Niagara began paying out the cable, 
but before being out of sight of land the first 
hitch occurred — the cable became entangled 
with the machinery, and broke. Repairs were 
soon made, however, and for three hundred 
miles all went well. Then suddenly the ca- 
ble parted and down it went to the bed of the 
Atlantic. The result was that the project had 
to be temporarily abandoned, and with sor- 
row in the hearts of all concerned in the work, 
the ships returned to Ireland. 

But the work was merely postponed. The 
leaders of the gigantic enterprise were de- 
termined to bring their undertaking to a suc- 
cessful conclusion, and, undaunted by their 
failure, the following summer saw the two 
ships together again, ready for a second at- 
tempt. 

But this time the plan was to make the 
connection between two cables in the middle 
of the ocean. There the necessary splicing 
was done and the ships separated, the Niagara 



LAYING THE CABLE 383 

proceeding on her way to the American coast, 
and the Agamemnon turning back to Ireland. 
The operation was carried out under great 
difficulty, owing to the high seas and the 
weight of the cables, which made the work 
extremely dangerous. A week elapsed be- 
fore the splicing could be accomplished. 

This being done, the vessels started in op- 
posite directions, but almost at once a break- 
age occurred. This was repaired, and an- 
other start was made. For a few hours all 
went well; then suddenly the anxious watch- 
ers on the Agamemnon were startled to see a 
huge whale approach the spot where the cable 
was disappearing into the depths of the sea. 
It was a time of great anxiety for them. If 
the great amphibean struck the cable with 
any force, it would probably mean disaster; 
but fortunately the animal barely touched it, 
so this danger was past. 

A few more miles of cable were paid out, 
and then came a breakage which caused an- 
other splicing to be made. Nothing daunted, 
the engineers accomplished this, and again a 
start was made. 



384 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

But fate seemed to be against them. Be- 
fore long there was a break which could not 
be repaired, and nearly one hundred and fifty 
miles of cable sunk to the bottom of the At- 
lantic, which at this point is more than two 
miles in depth. 

But no time was lost in crying over spilt 
milk. There was only one thing to do, and 
that was to return and secure more cable. 
The plucky engineers refused to accept de- 
feat; they meant to try and try until their ef- 
forts were crowned with success. 

Having secured the necessary cable, the two 
ships again parted company in the mid-At- 
lantic. This time they were fortunate in hav- 
ing fine weather, and from the time the splic- 
ing was finished all went well, and there was 
great joy at the excellent progress made. 

So well had the plans been made, that the 
Niagara reached the coast of Newfoundland 
on the very day that the Agamemnon landed 
at Valentia, in Ireland. At half-past two 
o'clock in the afternoon of August 18th, 1858, 
the following message flashed underneath the 
ocean, from the Old World to the New: 



LAYING THE CABLE 385 

"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, 
good will towards men." Queen Victoria and 
the President of the United States exchanged 
friendly greetings, and there was great rejoic- 
ing on both sides of the Atlantic. 

A magnificent feat of engineering, but not 
yet perfected. So far as laying the cable was 
concerned, it was eminently successful, but in 
a few days the current became weak, and soon 
refused to transmit any message. 

It might be imagined that this failure 
would completely dishearten those who had so 
carefully planned and carried out the great 
undertaking. For the time being they were 
discouraged, but not to the point of despair. 
Such men do not permit defeat or disaster 
to overcome them, and they refused to admit 
themselves beaten. 

But seven years passed before the next at- 
tempt was made to lay a cable under the ocean, 
and on this occasion the wonderful Great 
Eastern was the ship selected for the work. 

Up to this time there had been no one ship 
afloat large and powerful enough to carry the 
necessary cable, but now this monster, the 



386 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

wonder of the maritime world, was engaged 
by the Atlantic Telegraph Co. for the carry- 
ing out of the great undertaking. 

Much of the interior of this immense ship 
was changed to permit the erection of three 
vast tanks, in which was to be stowed a new 
cable, superior in strength to that which had 
before been used. 

To the rocks of Valentia the end of the 
cable was made fast, and the grand work was 
again in progress. 

But difficulties again beset them, and when 
about sixty miles from the coast of Ireland 
something went wrong. The Great Eastern 
had been fitted with a special apparatus for 
picking up cable, so cutting the latter at this 
point and securing the end to a huge buoy, 
the ship went slowly back, pulling up the 
sunken strand. Ten miles were traversed be- 
fore the cause of the trouble was found, and 
there it was seen that some of the outside 
strands had been driven into the centre of the 
cable. The damage was repaired, and the 
Great Eastern proceeded on her way. 

Good progress was being made, and about 



LAYING THE CABLE 387 

fifteen hundred miles of cable had been laid 
when the picking-up process again became 
necessary. A bad place this, because of the 
great depth of the ocean. The strain was 
tremendous, and more than the wire could 
stand. There was a snap, the cable parted, 
and sank to the bed of the Atlantic, more than 
two miles below. 

The engineers were now confronted with a 
task that seemed almost impossible of accom- 
plishment. They had to fish for the cable, 
which lay at the bottom of the ocean. Fas- 
tening a great grapnel to the end of a very 
strong wire rope, they lowered it into the wa- 
ter, and, after groping for a considerable time, 
their efforts were rewarded by feeling a strong 
grip. Anxiously they began to haul in the 
rope, but when about halfway up it broke, and 
down went grapnel and all. 

Again the attempt was made, but with the 
same result. A still stronger grapnel was 
forged, and for the third and last time it was 
sent over the stern of the ship. It was a most 
anxious time for both workers and watchers — 
would their efforts meet with success? 



388 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

No — their last endeavor to rescue the cable 
failed, and sadly they were forced to abandon 
the work. 

But even this disaster did not deter the cour- 
ageous promoters from their resolve to finish 
the work they had undertaken. The next sum- 
mer the Great Eastern was again made ready 
for the task, with a new cable and an im- 
proved picking-up apparatus. 

This time they were successful, as they well 
deserved to be. Advance was made at the rate 
of more than one hundred miles a day, and on 
July 27th, 1866, from the harbor of Heart's 
Content, Newfoundland, a message was 
flashed underneath the ocean to Ireland, tell- 
ing the people of the Old World that tele- 
graphic communication with the New World 
was established. 

Truly a marvelous achievement, and one 
which reflects great honor upon those intrepid 
men who refused to admit defeat, and who, 
undaunted by failures, finally carried to a suc- 
cessful issue their plans for the benefit of man- 
kind. 



THE CAPTURE OF THE SILVER 
FLEET 

The great galleons sailed from the port of 
Havana, richly laden with silver and gold. 
It was unfortunate for the fleet that one of the 
largest ships sprung a leak, for all had to wait 
while it was being overhauled and repaired. 

For twelve years there had been peace be- 
tween Spain and Holland, but now the two 
countries were again at war. Piet Hein, the 
great Dutch admiral, was in command of a 
fleet of thirty ships, and had made up his mind 
to capture the Spanish vessels and their great 
treasure. 

A gale had driven the Dutch fleet towards 
the Bay of Matanza, about sixty miles east 
of Havana, for which port Hein was making 
when the storm came up. The delay caused 
by the accident to the galleon was really the 

389 



39o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

cause of bringing the two fleets together. 

The Spanish governor of Havana learned 
of the nearness of the Dutch fleet, and so de- 
spatched a swift yacht to notify the silver fleet 
of its danger. The storm also drove the yacht 
to the Bay of Matanza, where it was taken by 
one of Piet Hein's ships. The papers on the 
yacht gave the Dutch admiral just the infor- 
mation he desired, for he now knew that the 
Spanish vessels were somewhere in the neigh- 
borhood. 

A sharp lookout was kept, and soon the 
Dutch sailors at the mast-heads sighted the 
sails of numerous ships. They gave chase, 
and, being the swifter vessels, soon began to 
overhaul the Spanish fleet. Piet Hein knew 
that the enemy was making for the Bay of 
Matanza, and so spread out his ships in the 
form of a fan, thereby giving the Spaniards 
small opportunity for escape to the open 
sea. 

But Hein was in strange waters, and did 
not know the soundings as did the Spaniards. 
Darkness began to fall, and before night the 
galleons had all entered the bay, while the 



THE SILVER FLEET 391 

Dutch ships lay outside, like a pack of hounds 
that had missed their prey. 

Boats were sent on a reconnoitering expe- 
dition, and returned with the news that the 
Spanish ships were being unloaded, and their 
cargoes taken ashore. But at this Piet Hein 
only laughed, and said that there would be 
plenty of the treasure left for them to capture 
as soon as it was light again. 

Very early in the morning, as soon as the 
sun began to rise, every one in the Dutch 
fleet was astir, and ready for the work ahead. 
The great galleons were heavily armed and 
manned, and, of course, would not surrender 
without a fierce struggle. Every Spanish 
sailor had been forced to take an oath that 
he would defend the treasure with his life, 
and to fire the ships and throw overboard their 
cargoes rather than to allow the enemy to cap- 
ture any of the rich booty. 

So a desperate battle was expected. At the 
earliest moment Piet Hein led the way into the 
bay, and soon the Spanish fleet was seen, 
aground in shallow water, but among the ships 
was no sign of life. 



392 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

This made him doubly cautious. The 
Dutch admiral had no desire to run aground, 
and the silence of the enemy made him sus- 
picious of some artfully-laid trap. He sig- 
nalled to his captains that the attack would 
be made in boats. 

The anchors were dropped, and soon the 
bay swarmed with the Dutch boats. The first 
Spanish ship to be approached was that of 
the admiral of the fleet, and as the Dutch 
neared the galleon, they were suddenly 
greeted by a broadside, which, however, did 
them no harm. The answer was a volley of 
musketry, following which was a demand to 
surrender. 

To Piet Hein's surprise up went the white 
flag and in a few minutes the Dutch were 
on board. The Spanish admiral surrendered 
himself and his fleet. 

Hein was amazed, for, without any real 
fighting, the Dutch fleet had captured one of 
the richest prizes in the world. The silver 
alone weighed more than two hundred thou- 
sand pounds, and in addition to this there was 



THE SILVER FLEET 393 

a vast amount of gold, jewels and other valu- 
able material. 

The Spanish admiral had a pet parrot, and 
while Hein and his officers were counting the 
money the parrot, hearing the clink of coins, 
cried out, "Victoria, 'victoria! O que bien 
va!" In English these words mean, "Bravo, 
bravo! How lucky we are!" Probably the 
bird had often heard its master say this when 
counting his treasures. 

The Dutch fleet, with its vast amount of 
booty, reached Holland safely during Christ- 
mas week, 1628. A great reception was given 
to the sailors, and particularly to their com- 
mander, Piet Hein. The treasure they 
brought was especially valuable at this time, 
because the government was in great need of 
money, and the country was almost on the 
verge of bankruptcy. Now they had no fear 
of poverty, for the enemy himself had pro- 
vided them with plenty. 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 

It is not always necessary to run into Polar 
regions to meet with icebergs, as the experi- 
ence of many Atlantic vessels proves. Even 
in these days of steam and improved naviga- 
tion there is danger more than a little to be 
apprehended from the presence of these wan- 
dering islands, especially in times of fog or 
thick weather. As an instance of this, we may 
take the story of the Lady Hobart, one of 
the old Atlantic mailboats, in the days when 
steamships were not yet. 

The Lady Hobart left Halifax, Nova Sco- 
tia, in the middle of the summer of 1803, un- 
der the command of Captain Fellowes. When 
three days out the vessel encountered bad 
weather, with fog and a heavy sea. There was, 
however, so far as could be seen, no special 
cause for alarm, and the passengers and some 

394 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 395 

of the crew retired for the night as usual. But 
at one o'clock in the morning everybody was 
effectually aroused by a tremendous shock. 
"So violent was the concussion," says the cap- 
tain in his account of the affair, "that several 
of the crew were pitched out of their ham- 
mocks." The skipped rushed on deck, and 
found, towering far above his tallest mast, and 
close to the ship, "an island of ice." It was 
against this unseen and monster enemy that 
the Lady Hobart had struck. Instantly the 
helm was put about, but again the vessel 
crashed upon the huge iceberg. It is prob- 
able that she collided more than twice with 
the berg, for when at length the crew had got 
her off, her stern-post had been stove in, her 
rudder carried away, and her hull badly shat- 
tered. 

The seas were breaking over the vessel with 
great force, and in a few minutes the hole was 
filled with water. The situation had in that 
short space of time become desperate. But 
prompt action was taken. "We hove the guns 
overboard, cut away the anchors from the 
bows, and got two sails under the bottom. 



396 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

Both pumps were kept going, and we con- 
tinued bailing with buckets from the main 
hatchway, in hopes of preventing the ship 
from sinking. But, in less than a quarter of 
an hour, she settled down to her fore-chains 
in water. Our situation was now become 
most perilous." The captain at once con- 
sulted with his master, Mr. Batgus, and Cap- 
tain Thomas, an officer of the Royal Navy, 
who was a passenger. Both agreed that not 
a moment should be lost in trying to get out 
the boats, if it could be done at all in that 
tossing sea. To save the ship was plainly im- 
possible; it was the lives alone that must be 
thought of. 

Without a murmur the skipper's orders 
were obeyed; the boats, the cutter and the 
jolly-boat were launched, though with great 
difficulty and risk. Then, without panic, 
without selfish pushing or disorder, each 
waited his or her turn to embark. Into the 
cutter were first placed the three ladies the 
ship's company included. One of these, in 
her haste to get into the boat, sprang from the 
deck and fell violently to the bottom. It was 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 397 

a marvel that she neither injured herself seri- 
ously nor smashed the craft, to the danger of 
herself and the rest. All this time the ship 
was sinking lower and lower in the water, and 
by the time the boats were filled only the 
quarter deck showed above the surface. At 
any instant even that might disappear. 

But there was much to be done yet. The 
mails, in their water-tight case, were first bal- 
lasted with pigs of iron and then thrown over- 
board, possibly to be recovered some day. 
Then hurriedly some provisions were tossed 
into the boats, forty or fifty pounds of biscuit, 
a vessel containing five gallons of water, a five- 
gallon cask of rum, a quantity of spruce beer, 
and a few bottles of wine, a scanty supply for 
a company of twenty-nine persons. Two com- 
passes, a quadrant, and telescope were also 
taken. An episode Captain Fellowes thinks 
well worth recording occurred at this time. 
One of the seamen was observed emptying 
out a five-gallon bottle of rum, to the astonish- 
ment of the captain. The man, however, 
proceeded to fill the empty vessel with water 
from the cask on the quarter-deck, the only 



398 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

available supply now. And this was the only 
water the boats had with them. The thought- 
fulness of the sailor, who sacrificed the sail- 
or's favourite drink for water, was praise- 
worthy. The last to leave the ship was Mr. 
Batgus, the master, who had utterly refused 
to precede the skipper. It was not a moment 
too soon. 

"We had scarce quitted the ship when she 
gave a heavy lurch to port, and then went 
down head foremost. I had ordered the col- 
ours to be hoisted at the main-top-gallant 
mast-head, with the Union downwards, as a 
signal of distress, that if any vessel should 
happen to be near us at the dawn of day our 
calamitous situation might attract observa- 
tion from her, and relief be afforded us. At 
this awful crisis of the ship sinking, when 
fear might be supposed to be the predominant 
principle of the human mind, a British sea- 
man, named John Andrews, exhibited uncom- 
mon coolness : 'There, my brave fellows,' he 
exclaimed, 'there goes the pride of old Eng- 
land!' " A pathetic spectacle it was, a gallant 
ship foundering under the towering heights of 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 399 

the iceberg that had brought destruction to 
her; two boats, weighed down almost to the 
water's level with their human freights, toss- 
ing on the agitated sea, no land nearer 
than hundreds of miles, and not a sail 
in sight! 

A strange incident accompanied the sink- 
ing of the Lady Hobart. An immense school 
of whales came crowding round the doomed 
wreck and the neighbouring boats. These 
monsters of the deep, by their unwieldly an- 
tics, might send to the bottom every soul in 
the little craft. Instantly the men set up a 
loud whistling and shouting, and did all they 
knew to drive the animals away, but it was to 
no purpose. The whales pursued the boats 
for a full half-hour, and kept the occupants 
in mortal dread, "frequent instances having 
occurred, in the fishery, of boats being rent in 
twain by the force of a single blow from a 
whale." At last, to their infinite relief, the 
ship-wrecked crews were left in peace, and 
uninjured. 

Captain Fellowes now resolved to steer for 
Newfoundland, which he estimated to be 



4 oo THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

about three hundred and fifty miles distant, 
bearing almost due west. It was a disheart- 
ening prospect that was before them; provi- 
sions small in quantity, and water scarcer still ; 
seas rough and often shrouded in fog, boats 
crowded to their fullest capacity, there being 
eighteen persons in the cutter and eleven in 
the jolly-boat; and, to make matters worse, 
the wind dead against them. But it was the 
only chance of saving their lives, so far as 
they could see. The men all agreed to the 
captain's suggestions as to the economizing of 
their stock of eatables and drinkables. The 
allowance to each person per diem was but 
half a biscuit and a glass of wine. The water 
they decided not to touch at all except in case 
of the direst emergency. A sail was rigged 
up for the cutter, and the smallest boat was 
taken in tow. Crowded and cramped to such 
a degree that a man could with difficulty get 
his hand into his pocket, the unfortunate folk 
had before them the prospect of many days 
of hunger, of raging thirst, and of exposure 
to the dashing seas. 

What other dangers they were tnreatened 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 401 

by they did not need reminding of. Before 
many hours had passed they found themselves 
in the neighbourhood of another iceberg. 
Luckily it was broad daylight, and they 
avoided it. Later in the day they fell in with 
yet another of these dangerous rovers, and 
this also they kept clear of. But what would 
happen should they in the darkness of the 
night drive in upon yet another! And that 
they were likely enough to meet with more of 
the icebergs they were well aware. So they 
passed a sleepless night, and the morning 
found them cramped, cold, and miserable. 
Some of their biscuit had been damaged by 
the sea-water they had shipped, so that even 
the meagre allowance they had settled upon 
had to be still further reduced. Half a glass- 
ful of rum to each helped to restore the circu- 
lation a little, and even the ladies found the 
benefit of it when, after several refusals, they 
were prevailed upon to take their share of the 
spirit. The skipper induced his men to work 
hard at the oars, and for two reasons — to help 
the cutter to make more way than she could by 
sail merely, in a breeze but slightly favour- 



4 o2 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

able, and also to keep the warmth in their 
bodies. 

In truth, they all needed something to keep 
up the circulation. Though it was summer 
time, the weather was intensely cold. Fogs 
and sleet made the atmosphere very raw, and 
the spray, which almost incessantly flew over 
them, began to freeze as it fell, making their 
position almost unendurable. Matters grew 
rapidly from bad to worse when a gale sprang 
up. The tempest increased to such an extent 
that it was no longer safe to keep the two 
boats near each other, and the jolly-boat had 
to be cut adrift. Very soon she was out of 
sight, to the great distress of those in the cut- 
ter. "The uncertainty of ever meeting the 
companions of our misfortunes excited the 
most acute affliction. To add to the misery 
of our situation, we lost, along with the boat, 
not only a considerable quantity of our store, 
but with them our quadrant and spy-glass. 
The gale, increasing with a prodigious heavy 
sea, we brought the cutter to, about four in 
the afternoon, by heaving the boat's sail loose 
over the bow, veering it out with a rope bent 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 403 

to each yard-arm, which kept her head to the 
sea, to break its force before it reached us." 

The sixth day of their exposure came, and 
the captain estimated that St. John's, New- 
foundland, was no less than a hundred and 
fifty miles distant, so that they had covered 
some two hundred from the scene of the 
wreck. The heroism of the ladies especially 
was beyond all praise, and did not a little to 
cheer the men and keep them to their work. 
But it had rained all night, and the condition 
of the poor creatures had become truly de- 
plorable. "The cold became so severe that 
hardly one in the boat was able to move. Our 
hands and feet were so swelled that many of 
them became quite black, owing to our con- 
fined state and the constant exposure to wet 
and cold weather. At daybreak I served out 
about a third of a wine-glass of rum to each 
person, with a quarter of a biscuit, and be- 
fore noon a small quantity of spruce-beer, 
which afforded us great relief." As the day 
wore on, the wind abated, and the cold became 
less intense, though still severe. 

That forenoon a sail was observed in the 



4 o 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

distance, over-joying the ship-wrecked folk. 
The sight seemed to put new life into them, 
and every effort was made to attract atten- 
tion. The skipper tied a lady's shawl to the 
boat-hook, and, getting up as well as his feeble 
condition would let him, he waved it till he 
could wave no longer. The other craft came 
nearer. Then, to their exceeding surprise, 
they perceived that it was their own jolly- 
boat that was approaching, her crew having 
managed to rig up some sort of sail. What 
conflicting emotions struggled in their breasts 
at this discovery! What a disappointment to 
men and women who had so fervently trusted 
that the much-hoped-for deliverance was at 
hand ! Yet what a delight to find once more 
their companions, who in this marvellous way 
had come back to them after many days and 
nights of separation on the bosom of the 
boundless ocean! A more equal distribution 
of the food and drink between the respective 
boats was now made, and it was determined 
that the two should not again separate, except 
under the most urgent necessity. 
Notwithstanding the joy of meeting again, 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 405 

and the fact that they were now but a little 
more than a hundred miles from St. John's, 
it was a miserable time that succeeded. "The 
cold, wet, and hunger, which we experienced 
the following days, are not to be described," 
says the skipper. Some of the men, in spite 
of every warning and entreaty, began to drink 
a good deal of salt water. More than one 
became delirious, while others were seized 
with violent internal pains. Worse was still 
to come. Amongst the company were the 
skipper and two of the crew of a French 
schooner, which the Lady Hobart had cap- 
tured at an early stage of the voyage, for it 
was a time of war between Britain and 
France. One of the French sailors now be- 
came so violent in his delirium that he had 
to be tied down in the jolly-boat. The French 
captain had supposed, on the wreck of the 
Lady Hobart, that he and his fellow-prisoners 
would be left to perish. That condition could 
never have occurred to a man like Captain 
Fellowes, and he had in all respects treated 
the poor Frenchmen as his own crew. But 
the French master had grown more despond- 



4 o6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

ent every day, and at last he suddenly sprang 
into the sea from the cutter, in a fit of mad- 
ness. He sank in a moment and never ap- 
peared again above the surface. Had it been 
otherwise nothing could have been done for 
the unfortunate man, at the speed with which 
the cutter was tearing through the water, and 
with the oars lashed as they were to the gun- 
wale. This first loss of life greatly affected 
nearly all the survivors, and many began from 
this time to fear the very worst issue for the 
whole party. 

Most of them were more or less unwell by 
this time, and the captain, who had been the 
mainstay of the company, himself fell seri- 
ously ill. He had violent shivering fits at 
intervals; he could take no nourishment, and 
grew feverish and delirious. His companions 
were alarmed, naturally enough, but the pa- 
tient dropped into a profound sleep, which 
lasted for several hours, and when he woke 
again he was bathed in perspiration. But he 
felt much better; the fever had subsided a 
good deal, and there was hope for him. This 
illness caused the deepest anxiety to the rest, 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 407 

for the captain's case might at any hour be that 
of others, and no man knew if, should he be 
attacked, he would emerge with results 
equally favourable. 

Bad weather was experienced all along, 
and it was as much as the miserable people 
could do to keep down, by baling, the water 
which was constantly being shipped. The 
baling had to be done without interruption, 
by day as well as by night, yet few of the 
sailors had strength enough to do the work at 
all. So far as sun and warmth were con- 
cerned, the day was little better than the night ; 
only once during the whole time of their ex- 
posure did the sun show himself to them. An- 
other gale bore down upon the unhappy crea- 
tures, a gale "accompanied with so tremend- 
ous a sea that the greatest vigilance was neces- 
sary in managing the helm, for the boats 
would have broached to from the slightest de- 
viation, and occasioned our inevitable destruc- 
tion. We scudded before the wind, expecting 
every returning wave to overwhelm us; but, 
through the Providence of God, we weathered 
the storm, which, towards night, began to 



4 o8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

abate." Nothing need be added to the sim- 
plicity of this account; the horrors of the situ- 
ation can be feebly imagined by one who has 
not gone through a like experience. The mere 
discomforts of the wind, the cold, and the wet 
were enough to send the sufferers into a seri- 
ous illness. As for the crew, the poor fel- 
lows were in worse case than the handful of 
passengers. Such sleep as they got they took 
as they lay in the water at the bottom of the 
boats. 

By their reckoning, necessarily imperfect, 
but the best they could make under the cir- 
cumstances, they estimated that they ought 
now to be near St. John's. But the fog was 
so dense that it was impossible to see more 
than a few yards ahead. There was great 
danger lest the boats might unexpectedly run 
aground, and this might occur at a point 
where destruction was certain. Some parts 
of the Newfoundland coast are rocky and 
dangerous, and to avoid these was now all the 
care of the shipwrecked. Yet they welcomed 
with delight the signs of the near neighbour- 
hood of land that were observed — bits of rock- 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 409 

weed floating by, a land bird which came and 
settled on their very boats for an instant or 
two. It was plain they were well under the 
shadow of Newfoundland, and the captain 
called for a last and special effort from his 
men. "It was strongly urged to them that 
should the wind come off the shore in the 
morning, and drive us to leeward, all exer- 
tions to regain it then might be too late, as, 
independent of our feeble state, the provi- 
sions, with all possible economy, could not 
last more than two days, and the water, which 
as yet remained untouched, except in the in- 
stances before mentioned, could not hold 
out much longer. We had been six days and 
nights constantly wet and cold, and without 
any other sustenance than the quarter of a bis- 
cuit and one wineglass of liquid for twenty- 
four hours. The men, who had appeared to- 
tally indifferent respecting their fate, now 
summoned up resolution; and as many as were 
capable of moving from the bottoms of the 
boats betook themselves to the oars. 

All night they rowed, but were obliged, 
with the freshening breeze, to cut adrift the 



410 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

jolly-boat again, and, when morning came, 
those in the cutter could see no sign of their 
companions, so thick was the fog that pre- 
vailed. Presently a sound as of the firing of 
guns was heard, and" the men concluded with 
joy that they were close to land. Singularly 
enough, however, the noise was afterwards 
ascertained to be only the blowing of whales. 
At last the fog cleared and the sun shone out, 
and in a moment eager eyes spied land less 
than a mile away. It was near Kettle Cove, 
in Conception Bay. "I wish that it were pos- 
sible for me," writes the skipper, "to describe 
our sensations at this interesting moment. . . . 
The joy of speedy relief affected us all in a 
most remarkable way. Many burst into tears ; 
some looked at each other with a stupid stare, 
as if doubtful of the reality of what they saw; 
while some were in so lethargic a condi- 
tion that no consolation, no animating words, 
could rouse them to exertion. 

A service of thanksgiving was at once held 
on board the cutter, and the captain did what 
he had not dared to do before, except in one 
or two isolated cases, he gave each person a 



WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 411 

drink of water, yet not too much, for he well 
knew the danger attending too free an indul- 
gence after a long period of privation. Soon, 
to the joy of all, they saw their jolly-boat 
coming to meet them, and with her a schooner. 
The worst of the troubles for the ship-wrecked 
crew were over. The people on shore flocked 
in hundreds to see the boats, and helped to 
carry ashore the poor fellows, many of whom 
were unable to walk at all. The captain says, 
and the statement may well be believed, that 
"nothing could exceed their surprise on see- 
ing the boats that had carried nine-and-twenty 
persons such a distance over a boisterous sea; 
and when they beheld so many miserable ob- 
jects they could not conceal emotions of pity 
and concern." 



THE BURNING OF THE ALICE 

The four-master Alice, of the East India 
Company, had made a good run since leaving 
Singapore, and apparently all was well. The 
ship was some hundreds of miles south of the 
equator, off the west coast of Africa, and mak- 
ing twelve knots an hour, with a spanking 
breeze. 

Suddenly one of the sailors discovered 
smoke coming up through the main hatchway, 
and immediately reported this to the officer 
in charge of the deck. An investigation was 
at once made, and it was found that fire was 
raging in the hold. 

The alarm was given, and any one who has 
experienced the excitement caused by an 
alarm of fire at sea can understand the feeling 
of dread caused by it. 

413 



BURNING OF THE ALICE 413 

The hatchways were at once closed, and all 
hands were set to work flooding the hold with 
water, but it was soon seen that the fire had 
gained such headway that the ship was 
doomed. The men worked like demons; the 
pumps were operated, and all available buck- 
ets were used, but still the fire gained upon 
them. The deck became so hot from the fury 
of the flames that it was almost impossible 
to walk along it. 

Higher and higher mounted the flames, and 
soon the boats were ordered out. One of 
these was launched and filled, but it was small, 
and would hold but few of the ship's com- 
pany. Efforts were made to lower the long- 
boat, but unfortunately the fire reached the 
tackle, which it I5urnt through, the boat fall- 
ing into the sea and drifting away. 

This was a terrible misfortune, because it 
was the only large boat, and its loss meant that 
many poor souls must perish miserably, either 
by fire or by being drowned. Men sprang 
into the rigging of the ship, with the natural 
desire to keep away as long as possible the 
last dread moment. Everything that would 



4H THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

float was thrown overboard, and soon many 
were clinging to this wreckage. 

The whole ship became a sheet of flames, 
and to add to the horror of the scene the 
loaded cannon (which it was then the custom 
to have on board of all merchantmen) be- 
came so heated that they discharged their 
shot, adding to the already dreadful toll of 
death and destruction. 

The last man to leave the sinking ship was 
the captain, who at the latest moment threw 
himself into the sea. Fortunately he was a 
strong swimmer, and seeing a large spar, to 
which some people were clinging, he struck 
out for it. He reached it, but at once saw 
that it was already so crowded that his ad- 
ditional weight would probably cause the im- 
mediate loss of those who had been so fortu- 
nate as to secure a hold upon it. Gallantly 
he left them, preferring to lose his own life 
rather than to endanger others. 

He swam about for some time, and was rap- 
idly becoming exhausted when he saw an- 
other spar, to which he clung. Almost un- 
conscious, he heard a terrific roar. It was the 



BURNING OF THE ALICE 415 

explosion of the ship. The air was filled with 
fiery pieces of timber, which, in falling, struck 
many of those who were still struggling for 
life in the sea. 

The captain fainted, and on opening his 
eyes he found himself in the small boat which 
had left the burning ship. The sailors who 
had left the ship in this were cruising around 
in the hope of picking up those who might 
have survived, and found him just as he was 
relaxing his hold upon the spar. 

Fortunately his injuries were slight, and 
soon the men were working hard to rig up 
a sail. There were few provisions in the 
locker, consisting only of a keg of water, some 
salt pork, and a few biscuits, little enough for 
ten men in a small boat, and at least six hun- 
dred miles from the nearest land. There was 
no compass, so that their direction had to be 
judged by the sun. 

They were in desperate case, but the cap- 
tain did his best to cheer his fellow castaways. 
Fair progress was made, there being a good 
breeze, but the monotony and lack of food 
told upon the strength and spirits of all. 



4 i6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

The days dragged slowly by, and weaker 
and more exhausted did the men become. A 
very small piece of pork, a quarter of a bis- 
cuit and a swallow of water was allowed each 
day per man, and upon this fare most of them 
became ill. Twice it rained, and then the 
sail was pulled down in order to catch as 
many of the precious drops as possible. 

On the morning of the tenth day land was 
sighted, to their great joy, and who can de- 
scribe the feeling of thankfulness that came 
over them when the boat reached the shore? 

But even though they were now on dry 
land, their condition was pitiable. They 
were almost dying from thirst and hunger, 
and clad in rags. Still, they were no longer 
at the mercy of the waves, and the very 
thought of food and succor revived them. 
Three of the party, of whom the captain was 
one, walked away from the sea in search of 
help, while the others lay wearily upon the 
sand. 

Fortunately the three soon found signs of 
habitation, and to their relief stumbled upon 
the abode of white people. They had been 



BURNING OF THE ALICE 417 

fearful that the place would be inhabited 
only by savages, and thankful were they to 
be hailed in the Portuguese tongue, with 
which language the captain was familiar. 

He quickly told his story to the men who 
appeared, and who lived at a Portuguese set- 
tlement close by. Horses were at once har- 
nessed to a large wagon, and soon the poor 
starved sailors were enjoying what was to 
them the best meal they had ever eaten. 

For two weeks the castaways stayed with 
their preservers, who did their best to help 
them back to health and strength. After the 
fearful hardships through which they had 
gone, their present lot seemed heavenly, but 
they did not wish to impose longer upon their 
kindly friends, so as soon as they were able 
they set off for the nearest port, about forty 
miles distant. Here they were so fortunate 
as to find a ship needing more hands, and 
soon they were on the way back to old Eng- 
land. 

It was a truly remarkable and almost in- 
credible voyage these ten men had made. 
They had crossed more than six hundred 



4 i8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 

miles of the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat, 
with little to eat or drink. God, who rules 
both land and sea, was surely with them, and 
guided their frail craft to safety. 



Sources of Tales 



Title Author Page 

Among the Icebergs W. H. G. Kingston 352 

From "Peter the Whaler" 

Battle of Trafalgar, The Robert Southey 228 

From "The Life of Nelson" 

Burning of the Alice, The P. W. Coussens 412 

Burning of the Philadelphia, The P. W. Coussens 90 

Captain Hawk, Pirate W. H. G. Kingston 174 

From "Peter the Whaler" 

Captain Kidd P. W. Coussens 152 

Capture of the Silver Fleet P. W. Coussens 389 

Capturing a Malayan Pirate P. W. Coussens 75 

"Casabianca" Charlotte M. Yonge 163 

From "A Book of Golden Deeds" 

Conflict of Monsters, A ...Frank T. Bullen 143 

From "The Cruise of the Cachalot" 

Descent into the Maelstrom Edgar Allan Poe 100 

"Don't Give up the Ship" P. W. Coussens 136 

Famous Sea Fight, A John Paul Jones 38 

First Dutch Attempt to Discover the Northwest Passage, 

The P. W. Coussens 81 

Great Armada, The Charles Kingsley 250 

From "Westward Ho!" 

Henry Hudson's Last Voyage P. W. Coussens 20 

Adapted from Richard Hakluyt's Voyages 

Honest John, Pilot of the Jersey John Nathan Neale 159 

Adapted from "Christian Heroism" 

King Olaf 's Last Fight P. W. Coussens 12 

Laying of the Atlantic Cable, The P. W. Coussens 381 

Adapted from Various Sources 

Loss of the Birkenhead, The P. W. Coussens 344 

Mutineers of the Bounty, The P. W. Coussens 360 



SOURCES OF TALES 

Title Author Page 

On the Raft W. H. G. Kingston 302 

From "Three Midshipmen" 
Opening of Japan to the World, The. . . .P. W. Coussens 29 
Adapted from Authentic Sources 

Spanish Bloodhounds and English Mastiffs 

Charles Kingsley 47 

From "Westward Ho!" 

Sinking of the Pirate Proa W. H. G. Kingston 334 

From "King's Own" 

Stormy Sea, A W. H. G. Kingston 286 

From "Three Midshipmen" 

Testing of a Man, The Frank T. Bullen 367 

From "Frank Brown" 

Titanic Disaster, The P. W. Coussens 324 

Adapted from Various Sources 

Wonderful Voyage, A P. W. Coussens 3 

Adapted from Richard Hakluyt's Voyages 

Wreck of the Drake, The Charlotte M. Yonge 279 

From "A Book of Golden Deeds" 

Wrecked on An Iceberg Richard Stead 394 

From "Adventures on the High Seas" 



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